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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pass — a permit
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. root — the cause
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. shower — rain
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bear — the animal
  16. root — of a word
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bear — the animal
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. shower — to wash

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