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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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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: shower · stick · pound · snap · root · court · spell · club

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. root — the cause
  3. spell — letters
  4. shower — rain
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. court — of a king
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. snap — to click
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. club — for golf
  13. spell — magic
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. club — a group
  17. court — of law
  18. shower — to wash
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pound — a weight
  22. club — for dancing
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pound — for dogs

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