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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. root — of a plant
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. root — the cause
  6. capital — a city
  7. root — of a word
  8. tube — a container
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. capital — money
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — hasty
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. shower — rain
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rash — a series
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bulb — for light
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. shower — to wash

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