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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 · root · board · pitcher · hand · shower · key · rush

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. root — the cause
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. board — a committee
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. shower — to wash
  17. key — for a lock
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. key — in music
  21. shower — rain
  22. key — the most important part
  23. board — to get on
  24. hand — help

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