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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: club · lean · squash · root · staff · ground · pitcher · shower

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. root — the cause
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lean — thin
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. shower — rain
  9. squash — to crush
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. staff — a stick
  13. lean — to bend
  14. staff — employees
  15. shower — to wash
  16. club — a group
  17. ground — a position
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ground — the earth
  20. root — of a word
  21. ground — crushed
  22. root — of a plant
  23. staff — employees
  24. lean — to rest against

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