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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: mine · root · cell · shower · suit · ruler · bear · game

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. suit — to fit
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cell — in biology
  10. shower — rain
  11. root — the cause
  12. shower — to wash
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mine — for digging
  16. root — of a word
  17. suit — clothes
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mine — an explosive

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