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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: board · last · march · root · pop · bay · shower · fall

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. march — music
  4. root — of a plant
  5. board — a committee
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. last — final
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. last — finally
  13. board — to get on
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. last — to go on
  18. shower — to wash
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. fall — the season
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. pop — soda
  24. fall — to drop

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