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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: wave · mate · snap · prune · root · shower · last · bulb

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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 word
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bulb — for light
  4. last — finally
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. root — the cause
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. shower — rain
  10. last — to go on
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. root — of a plant
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to click
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. last — final
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wave — with your hand
  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