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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: stand · tear · straw · shower · root · foot · current · cabinet

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. root — the cause
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. foot — a measure
  6. shower — rain
  7. tear — from crying
  8. current — of water
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. root — of a plant
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. shower — to wash
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. root — of a word

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