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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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468
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: shower · march · drill · cabinet · racket · root · wake · patient

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wake — a trail
  5. march — the month
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. root — the cause
  11. march — music
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. drill — the tool
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. drill — army training
  16. shower — rain
  17. march — the month
  18. shower — to wash
  19. root — of a word
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wake — before a funeral

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