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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: lie · root · shower · club · hide · firm · degree · mine

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. firm — decided
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lie — to recline
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. degree — from a university
  7. firm — steady
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. root — of a word
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. club — for golf
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mine — for digging
  16. root — the cause
  17. firm — a company
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. shower — rain
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. degree — an amount

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