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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: race · shower · temple · arm · root · ground · fan · bass

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. shower — to wash
  5. root — of a word
  6. bass — low music
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. shower — rain
  11. root — of a plant
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. root — the cause
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bass — the fish
  17. ground — crushed
  18. race — humankind
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. ground — a position
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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