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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 · cabinet · root · shower · file · pitcher · patient · ground

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. board — to get on
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ground — crushed
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. shower — to wash
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. file — a document
  13. ground — the earth
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. board — a committee
  17. root — of a word
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. file — a tool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. shower — rain
  23. ground — a position
  24. pitcher — a jug

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