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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 · lean · content · row · bore · season · kick · root

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. season — in sport
  7. content — the amount
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. content — happy
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — to bend
  17. season — of the year
  18. row — a line
  19. lean — thin
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. shower — rain
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bore — to tire

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