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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wake — a trail
  4. shower — rain
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. root — of a word
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. capital — a city
  12. cue — a signal
  13. stem — to come from
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. root — the cause
  17. shower — to wash
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rush — hurry
  23. capital — money
  24. stem — a stem cell

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