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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 116 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: mate · board · root · ground · shower · pound · chair · face

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. face — to point toward
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. mate — a friend
  8. ground — a position
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. root — the cause
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pound — a weight
  14. shower — rain
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — to get on
  19. root — of a word
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ground — the earth
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mate — a partner

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