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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: pop · foot · racket · kid · root · shower · patient · capital

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. root — of a plant
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. root — of a word
  9. capital — a city
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. capital — money
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kid — child
  16. shower — rain
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. kid — to tease
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pop — music
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. root — the cause

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