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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lean — thin
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. shower — rain
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bore — to drill
  8. root — of a word
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. spring — of water
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mark — a trace
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. root — the cause
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bulb — for light

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