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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. root — of a plant
  3. content — happy
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. root — the cause
  6. shower — rain
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bank — for money
  9. net — for catching
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. root — of a word
  13. net — in sport
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. shower — to wash
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bank — for money
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bank — of a river
  22. net — after costs
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. content — the amount

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