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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: root · foot · shower · date · key · band · ground · field

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. shower — rain
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. field — a subject
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. ground — the earth
  8. band — a ring
  9. key — for a lock
  10. shower — to wash
  11. key — in music
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. key — the most important part
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. date — the fruit
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. foot — a measure
  24. band — a music group

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