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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. hand — in cards
  3. shower — to wash
  4. plane — a tool
  5. root — of a plant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hand — help
  8. bank — for money
  9. rash — a series
  10. prune — to trim
  11. shower — rain
  12. bank — for money
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. root — of a word
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. root — the cause
  23. rash — hasty
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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