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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. season — in sport
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. shower — rain
  12. root — the cause
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. present — the time now
  15. shower — to wash
  16. root — of a word
  17. season — of the year
  18. tear — from crying
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. plane — a tool

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