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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. root — of a word
  3. bound — tied together
  4. staff — employees
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. root — the cause
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. cold — not warm
  12. staff — a stick
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cold — an illness
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bound — certain
  17. root — of a plant
  18. fork — in a road
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. degree — an amount
  21. dip — to sink
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bound — obliged
  24. shower — rain

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