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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. game — wild animals
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cap — a lid
  5. root — of a plant
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fall — the season
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. root — the cause
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cap — of ice
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cap — a hat
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. game — a match

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