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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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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: wake · ball · bass · shower · pitch · lean · root · bark

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lean — to bend
  4. root — the cause
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bass — low music
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bass — the fish
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. ball — a great time
  15. lean — thin
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wake — a trail
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bass — the instrument

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