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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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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: coach · straw · shower · deal · wake · root · vault · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. deal — to handle
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. shower — to wash
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. vault — a safe
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wake — a trail
  12. shower — rain
  13. root — the cause
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. root — of a word
  17. ground — the earth
  18. root — of a plant
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. ground — crushed
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. deal — a big deal

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