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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: ground · bound · shower · root · season · board · dip · object

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bound — certain
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — an aim
  6. shower — to wash
  7. season — of the year
  8. root — the cause
  9. object — to protest
  10. board — a committee
  11. ground — crushed
  12. season — in sport
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bound — obliged
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. root — of a plant
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. shower — rain
  20. ground — a position
  21. bound — tied together
  22. dip — to sink
  23. board — to get on
  24. ground — the earth

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