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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. root — of a word
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ground — a position
  8. shower — rain
  9. ground — the earth
  10. root — the cause
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spring — a coil
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. root — of a plant
  17. shower — to wash
  18. foot — a measure

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