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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: shower · wave · racket · root · hand · wind · stand · last

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. root — the cause
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stand — to bear
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. hand — help
  19. root — of a word
  20. wind — moving air
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. last — final
  23. wind — moving air
  24. root — of a plant

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