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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: bark · wound · root · foot · shower · court · nail · fan

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bark — to shout
  7. foot — a measure
  8. shower — to wash
  9. root — the cause
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. court — for sport
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. shower — rain
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fan — a supporter

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