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

Word bank: land · present · bank · shower · root · kid · wave · stem

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bank — for money
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bank — for money
  8. kid — child
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. root — of a word
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. present — a gift
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bank — of a river
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. root — of a plant
  19. kid — to tease
  20. land — a country
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. root — the cause

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