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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. can — a tin
  6. cold — an illness
  7. root — the cause
  8. club — for dancing
  9. can — to be able to
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. club — a group
  12. drill — the tool
  13. club — for golf
  14. shower — to wash
  15. drill — a practice
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. shower — rain
  18. bulb — for light
  19. drill — army training
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cold — not warm
  24. leaves — of a tree

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