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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: calf · tube · bass · pop · root · last · shower · track

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bass — low music
  3. root — of a plant
  4. tube — a container
  5. last — to go on
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. shower — to wash
  10. track — a path
  11. last — finally
  12. pop — soda
  13. tube — the underground
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pop — music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. last — final
  22. root — the cause
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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