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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 116 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. spring — a coil
  4. root — of a plant
  5. shower — rain
  6. root — the cause
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rule — a law
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. rule — government
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. shower — to wash
  19. spring — of water
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — for digging
  24. root — of a word

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