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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · dip · leaves · lie · mine · shower · last · date

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. last — to go on
  4. lie — to recline
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. root — the cause
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. root — of a plant
  12. mine — for digging
  13. shower — rain
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. root — of a word
  18. last — final
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. dip — to sink
  23. last — finally
  24. dip — to dunk

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