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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. track — to keep track
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fall — the season
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fall — to drop
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. root — the cause
  12. mine — for digging
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. branch — a division
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. shower — rain
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. sharp — clever
  24. root — of a word

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