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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: root · club · hide · ball · hand · shower · rush · sharp

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. root — of a plant
  4. club — a group
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. shower — rain
  7. club — for golf
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ball — a great time
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. root — of a word
  14. rush — hurry
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. club — for dancing
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. shower — to wash
  24. root — the cause

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