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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. prune — to trim
  3. staff — employees
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. root — the cause
  11. board — a committee
  12. game — a match
  13. board — to get on
  14. shower — rain
  15. root — of a plant
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. root — of a word
  18. prune — to trim
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. tear — to rip
  21. game — wild animals
  22. staff — a stick
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mouse — the animal

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