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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 water is too ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. root — the cause
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. shower — to wash
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. bass — the fish
  9. root — of a word
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bass — low music
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. stem — to come from
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. ruler — a monarch

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