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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. shower — to wash
  3. root — the cause
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. root — of a word
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wake — a trail
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. fine — high quality
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. fine — all right
  21. prune — to trim
  22. root — of a plant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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