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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: game · fine · dip · lean · key · patient · shower · root

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. fine — high quality
  5. dip — to sink
  6. shower — rain
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. root — the cause
  9. key — the most important part
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. key — for a lock
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. lean — thin
  14. game — a match
  15. root — of a plant
  16. lean — to bend
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. key — in music
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. shower — to wash
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. root — of a word
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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