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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 116 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: shower · cap · march · track · board · bass · bulb · root

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. root — of a plant
  5. board — to get on
  6. bulb — for light
  7. shower — rain
  8. track — to keep track
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. root — of a word
  11. bass — low music
  12. board — a committee
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bulb — for light
  15. track — a song
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. march — the month
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. root — the cause
  22. track — a path
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cap — a hat

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