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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. file — a tool
  8. land — a country
  9. shower — rain
  10. mine — for digging
  11. file — a document
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. land — ground
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. root — of a word
  18. land — to come down
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. root — the cause
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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