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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 · snap · root · trunk · squash · shower · hide · plane

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. root — the cause
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. squash — the sport
  15. root — of a word
  16. squash — to crush
  17. snap — to click
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. root — of a plant
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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