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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: mark · game · racket · shower · root · current · last · wound

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. root — the cause
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mark — a grade
  5. current — electric
  6. game — a match
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. game — wild animals
  12. current — happening now
  13. wound — an injury
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. shower — rain
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. current — of water
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mark — to pay attention

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