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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. snap — to click
  4. root — of a word
  5. mug — to rob
  6. root — the cause
  7. shower — to wash
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mug — a cup
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. root — of a plant
  16. shower — rain
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mug — a face
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. leaves — to go away

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