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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: ball · field · shower · current · root · tube · march · rule

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. march — music
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. tube — a container
  9. current — happening now
  10. ball — a great time
  11. field — for sport
  12. current — of water
  13. root — the cause
  14. rule — government
  15. march — the month
  16. rule — a law
  17. march — the month
  18. shower — rain
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. current — electric
  23. tube — the underground
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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