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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cap — of ice
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. root — of a word
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. field — for sport
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. root — the cause
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cap — a lid
  15. field — farmland
  16. pop — soda
  17. field — a subject
  18. pop — music
  19. cap — a hat
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. shower — rain
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. root — of a plant

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