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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 120 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: craft · game · shower · pitcher · bore · field · mug · root

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. shower — rain
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mug — to rob
  8. field — a subject
  9. shower — to wash
  10. game — a match
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. game — wild animals
  15. craft — a skill
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. craft — boats
  18. bore — to drill
  19. root — the cause
  20. field — for sport
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. field — farmland
  23. mug — a cup
  24. craft — a handicraft

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