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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: board · spell · hand · shower · cold · cabinet · deal · root

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. spell — magic
  2. shower — to wash
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. cold — not warm
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. board — a committee
  10. spell — letters
  11. shower — rain
  12. board — to get on
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. deal — to handle
  15. spell — a short time
  16. hand — in cards
  17. root — of a plant
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  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