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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: root · shower · content · rash · foot · straw · staff · degree

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. staff — employees
  4. rash — hasty
  5. content — the amount
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. content — happy
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rash — a series
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. root — of a plant
  18. staff — a stick
  19. degree — from a university
  20. staff — employees
  21. root — of a word
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. root — the cause

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