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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: game · wake · shower · calf · season · row · root · dip

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. season — in sport
  3. wake — a trail
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. shower — rain
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — of a plant
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. shower — to wash
  19. season — of the year
  20. row — to paddle
  21. root — the cause
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. game — a match

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