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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wound — an injury
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. drill — the tool
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. shower — rain
  16. drill — army training
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. drill — a practice
  20. root — of a word
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. roll — a list
  24. squash — the vegetable

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