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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: ground · kid · season · root · shower · cap · tube · chip

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. root — the cause
  5. ground — the earth
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. chip — to eat
  8. ground — a position
  9. shower — to wash
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. tube — the underground
  12. shower — rain
  13. cap — of ice
  14. kid — child
  15. season — in sport
  16. cap — a lid
  17. kid — to tease
  18. tube — a container
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ground — crushed
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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