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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. net — for catching
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. root — the cause
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. root — of a word
  8. shower — rain
  9. season — of the year
  10. rest — what's left
  11. shower — to wash
  12. season — in sport
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. net — in sport
  15. root — of a plant
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bark — to shout
  20. net — after costs
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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