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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: arm · shower · rush · dip · root · game · pitcher · pop

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. dip — to sink
  4. root — of a word
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. root — the cause
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pop — soda
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. game — wild animals
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pop — music
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pop — to visit
  22. game — a match
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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