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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. shower — to wash
  4. root — of a plant
  5. perch — the fish
  6. drill — army training
  7. shower — rain
  8. swing — to play on
  9. season — in sport
  10. root — of a word
  11. season — of the year
  12. swing — music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. root — the cause
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. drill — the tool
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. swing — in golf
  24. nail — for a hammer

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