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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: pop · snap · game · root · hand · board · shower · wave

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. board — to get on
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pop — soda
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. hand — help
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. root — of a plant
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. board — a committee
  18. hand — in cards
  19. root — the cause
  20. game — a match
  21. snap — to click
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. shower — rain
  24. root — of a word

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