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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. content — the amount
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. root — of a plant
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. root — the cause
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. root — of a word
  9. tube — a container
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. content — happy
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. shower — rain
  14. fine — all right
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. tube — the underground
  24. coach — a trainer

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