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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. spell — a short time
  3. shower — to wash
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bank — for money
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. shower — rain
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. spell — letters
  13. bank — of a river
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — of the year
  16. spell — magic
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bank — for money
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. date — 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