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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.

Words on the sheet
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: squash · spring · hand · trunk · pitch · wave · shower · root

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. hand — help
  5. root — of a word
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. squash — to crush
  11. root — the cause
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. root — of a plant
  18. shower — to wash
  19. spring — the season
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pitch — completely
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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