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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 120 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — of a plant
  4. kid — to tease
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. suit — in cards
  9. shower — rain
  10. rest — a break
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. kid — child
  13. root — the cause
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. suit — to fit
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rest — what's left
  19. branch — a division
  20. suit — clothes
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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