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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: rock · shower · cabinet · pitcher · root · tear · capital · vault

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. root — of a word
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. shower — rain
  12. vault — a safe
  13. tear — from crying
  14. capital — money
  15. tear — from crying
  16. capital — a city
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rock — music
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. shower — to wash
  23. root — the cause
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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