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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: pitcher · lash · lean · rule · mine · shower · root · cell

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. root — of a word
  13. lean — thin
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rule — government
  17. cell — a phone
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rule — a law
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. shower — rain
  23. root — the cause
  24. cell — in a prison

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