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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ground — crushed
  7. date — the fruit
  8. spring — a coil
  9. shower — to wash
  10. spring — of water
  11. shower — rain
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. content — the amount
  19. ground — a position
  20. spring — the season
  21. root — of a word
  22. content — happy
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mouse — the animal

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