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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 120 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: shower · stick · ground · band · root · prune · face · racket

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. band — a music group
  3. face — to point toward
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. band — a ring
  6. prune — to trim
  7. root — the cause
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. shower — to wash
  10. root — of a plant
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. root — of a word
  16. ground — a position
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. ground — the earth
  19. prune — to trim
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. ground — crushed
  23. shower — rain
  24. face — to confront

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