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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 116 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. last — final
  4. club — a group
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a plant
  7. shower — rain
  8. bear — the animal
  9. club — for dancing
  10. tube — the underground
  11. club — for golf
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. last — to go on
  15. root — of a word
  16. tube — a container
  17. shower — to wash
  18. last — finally

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