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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. root — of a word
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. spring — the season
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. club — a group
  17. shower — to wash
  18. spring — of water
  19. root — of a plant
  20. shower — rain
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. spring — a coil
  24. root — the cause

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