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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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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: club · ball · root · pitcher · calf · content · pop · bear

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. content — happy
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pop — music
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. club — for golf
  8. pop — soda
  9. club — a group
  10. root — the cause
  11. pop — to visit
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. content — the amount
  18. root — of a word
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. club — for dancing
  24. ball — a dance

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