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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. spring — of water
  4. scale — in music
  5. last — final
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. scale — size or range
  8. spring — the season
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. root — the cause
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. last — to go on
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. spring — a coil
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. last — finally
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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