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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · pitcher · root · rash · pound · bore · firm · last

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. last — to go on
  3. firm — a company
  4. file — a document
  5. root — of a word
  6. firm — decided
  7. rash — a series
  8. firm — steady
  9. bore — to drill
  10. last — final
  11. file — a tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pound — a weight
  14. last — finally
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. file — a line of people
  18. root — the cause
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bore — to tire
  21. rash — hasty
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com