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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wake — a trail
  3. root — the cause
  4. object — a thing
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. content — the amount
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. root — of a word
  13. content — happy
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bark — to shout
  18. object — to protest
  19. fall — the season
  20. object — an aim
  21. shower — to wash
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. shower — rain
  24. fall — to drop

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