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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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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: object · wound · shower · bear · root · wake · kid · fall

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bear — the animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wake — a trail
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kid — child
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. object — an aim
  14. root — of a word
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — the animal
  18. object — to protest
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fall — to drop
  22. object — a thing
  23. fall — the season
  24. bear — to put up with

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