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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: game · nail · root · pitcher · spell · hand · wound · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. root — of a word
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wound — an injury
  8. game — a match
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spell — magic
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. suit — in cards
  17. spell — letters
  18. suit — to fit
  19. hand — help
  20. root — the cause
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hand — in cards
  24. root — of a plant

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