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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 120 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: root · plane · shower · rest · perch · bank · wound · pitch

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. pitch — completely
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bank — for money
  8. plane — a tool
  9. root — of a word
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. perch — the fish
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bank — for money
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wound — an injury
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. root — of a plant
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. root — the cause

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