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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: cabinet · shower · wax · tear · drill · mate · mug · root

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. tear — from crying
  3. drill — a practice
  4. root — the cause
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mug — a face
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mug — a cup
  17. shower — to wash
  18. tear — from crying
  19. root — of a word
  20. mate — to breed
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cabinet — ministers

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