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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. shower — to wash
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — the cause
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. saw — the tool
  18. shower — rain
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rush — to hurry

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