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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. root — of a plant
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bass — the fish
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bulb — for light
  13. root — of a word
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. sharp — clever
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bass — low music
  22. root — the cause
  23. plane — a tool
  24. shower — rain

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