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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. fall — to drop
  4. root — the cause
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ground — crushed
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — a group
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spring — a coil
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. club — for golf
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. shower — to wash
  17. ground — a position
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spring — of water
  20. dip — to sink
  21. shower — rain
  22. spring — the season
  23. ground — the earth
  24. dip — a sauce

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