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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 120 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. root — the cause
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spring — the season
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. track — a song
  8. content — happy
  9. root — of a word
  10. bulb — for light
  11. root — of a plant
  12. fork — in a road
  13. track — to keep track
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — a coil
  17. shower — rain
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. track — a path
  22. content — the amount
  23. shower — to wash
  24. spring — of water

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