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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: bowl · mark · shower · bore · coach · root · rush · wax

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mark — a grade
  4. root — of a word
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bore — to tire
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. root — the cause
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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