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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: wind · key · pitcher · root · can · mate · bulb · kid

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. can — to be able to
  4. kid — to tease
  5. root — of a word
  6. bulb — for light
  7. key — for a lock
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kid — child
  11. wind — moving air
  12. can — a tin
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mate — a friend
  16. can — a tin
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wind — moving air
  20. key — the most important part
  21. root — the cause
  22. key — in music
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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