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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. root — the cause
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cap — of ice
  9. root — of a word
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pop — to visit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cap — a lid
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pop — soda
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. shower — rain
  18. pop — music
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mouse — for a computer

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