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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: shower · wound · root · key · current · mug · mine · mate

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. current — happening now
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. current — of water
  9. mate — a partner
  10. root — the cause
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. current — electric
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a face
  22. key — in music
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. root — of a plant

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