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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · bowl · root · shower · net · mug · pitcher · mine

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. shower — to wash
  4. mine — for digging
  5. staff — employees
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mug — to rob
  9. net — for catching
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mug — a face
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. root — the cause
  18. shower — rain
  19. net — after costs
  20. root — of a word
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. staff — employees
  23. net — in sport
  24. pitcher — a jug

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