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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: club · cue · present · racket · root · wake · shower · tear

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. shower — to wash
  3. cue — a signal
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. tear — to rip
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. club — a group
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wake — a trail
  10. root — the cause
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. club — for golf
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cue — for pool
  16. present — the time now
  17. shower — rain
  18. present — a gift
  19. club — for dancing
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. present — there
  22. cue — a hint
  23. tear — from crying
  24. root — of a word

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