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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. last — to go on
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. last — final
  6. bulb — for light
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bulb — for light
  10. shower — to wash
  11. root — the cause
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. shower — rain
  14. wound — an injury
  15. last — finally
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. root — of a word
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wound — an injury
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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