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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wound — an injury
  18. dip — to sink
  19. degree — an amount
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. degree — temperature
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cold — an illness

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