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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. shower — rain
  3. root — of a word
  4. chip — to eat
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. shower — to wash
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. deal — to handle
  15. chest — a box
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. row — a line
  19. root — the cause
  20. chip — for betting
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wake — a trail
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bound — certain

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