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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. season — of the year
  3. root — of a word
  4. degree — from a university
  5. tear — from crying
  6. shower — to wash
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. scale — in music
  9. cue — a hint
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. root — the cause
  14. tear — to rip
  15. degree — temperature
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. season — in sport
  19. cue — a signal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cue — for pool
  23. shower — rain
  24. tear — from crying

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