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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: root · shower · club · squash · dip · spell · staff · wax

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. spell — letters
  5. squash — the sport
  6. club — for golf
  7. root — the cause
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. spell — magic
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. spell — a short time
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. staff — employees
  22. shower — to wash
  23. staff — employees
  24. shower — rain

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