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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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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: stem · root · club · deal · snap · season · wax · shower

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. club — a group
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stem — to come from
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. shower — rain
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. club — for golf
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. root — the cause
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wax — to grow
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. club — for dancing
  21. season — of the year
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. root — of a plant

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