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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. root — of a plant
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. root — the cause
  8. chest — of your body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. season — of the year
  12. root — of a word
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chest — a box
  17. rush — hurry
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. nail — on a finger

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