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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: mate · cabinet · wake · shower · root · pitcher · roll · bear

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. shower — rain
  5. root — the cause
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mate — a friend
  8. root — of a word
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. shower — to wash
  12. roll — a list
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wake — a trail
  20. root — of a plant
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. roll — a cake
  24. mate — to breed

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