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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wave · saw · pitcher · mouse · field · root · coach · shower

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. shower — to wash
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. saw — the tool
  12. shower — rain
  13. field — a subject
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. field — for sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. root — the cause
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. field — farmland
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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