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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. shower — to wash
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. pound — a weight
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. capital — a city
  16. root — the cause
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. staff — a stick
  20. capital — money
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. shower — rain
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. spring — the season

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