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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. root — of a plant
  4. board — to get on
  5. wind — moving air
  6. shower — to wash
  7. root — of a word
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. last — to go on
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. board — a committee
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. last — finally
  17. wind — moving air
  18. last — final
  19. root — the cause
  20. shower — rain
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. board — a flat piece

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