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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: lean · pitcher · fork · fine · root · chest · cabinet · pound

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. root — the cause
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lean — thin
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pound — a weight
  15. lean — to bend
  16. root — of a plant
  17. fine — all right
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. root — of a word

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