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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: dip · net · saw · hand · pitch · bark · shower · root

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pitch — completely
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. root — of a plant
  6. hand — in cards
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. shower — rain
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. net — after costs
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. hand — help
  17. saw — the tool
  18. root — the cause
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bark — to shout
  21. root — of a word
  22. shower — to wash
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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