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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. toast — bread
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. snap — to click
  15. root — the cause
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. root — of a word
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. season — of the year
  23. fork — in a road
  24. season — in sport

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