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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. shower — to wash
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — of a plant
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. shower — rain
  9. spring — of water
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. tube — the underground
  12. spring — a coil
  13. season — in sport
  14. tube — a container
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. spring — the season
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. root — the cause
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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