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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: cue · safe · root · bulb · shower · ground · season · nail

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. shower — to wash
  3. root — of a plant
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. ground — a position
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bulb — for light
  8. season — in sport
  9. shower — rain
  10. root — of a word
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bulb — for light
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cue — for pool
  18. ground — crushed
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ground — the earth
  21. root — the cause
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bulb — of a plant

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