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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. roll — a list
  3. kid — child
  4. scale — in music
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. root — the cause
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. kid — to tease
  11. shower — to wash
  12. dip — to sink
  13. craft — boats
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. root — of a plant
  18. scale — size or range
  19. root — of a word
  20. roll — a cake
  21. shower — rain
  22. craft — a skill
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. roll — on a roll

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