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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 120 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: pound · rush · bat · shower · coach · content · root · wake

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. shower — rain
  4. pound — a weight
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bat — the animal
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. root — the cause
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. content — happy
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. content — the amount
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. rush — to hurry

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