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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: bay · wave · season · rash · shower · root · bowl · saw

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rash — a series
  6. shower — to wash
  7. saw — the tool
  8. shower — rain
  9. root — the cause
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. season — of the year
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. season — in sport
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. rash — hasty

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