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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. root — of a plant
  3. club — for golf
  4. root — of a word
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. can — a tin
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bore — to tire
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. root — the cause
  19. pit — a hole
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bore — to drill
  22. club — a group
  23. can — a tin
  24. pit — in a race

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