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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. root — of a plant
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bore — to drill
  9. season — of the year
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bore — to tire
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. pound — a weight
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. shower — rain
  21. dip — to sink
  22. season — in sport
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. pound — to hit hard

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