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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 124 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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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: deal · root · pitch · band · bowl · patient · nail · row

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. band — a music group
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. row — a line
  11. deal — to handle
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pitch — completely
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. root — of a word
  24. bowl — to roll

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