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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: ground · club · court · shower · bulb · calf · season · root

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. root — the cause
  3. shower — to wash
  4. court — of a king
  5. root — of a word
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. season — of the year
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for dancing
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. season — in sport
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ground — the earth
  16. court — of law
  17. shower — rain
  18. bulb — for light
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ground — crushed
  21. court — for sport
  22. ground — a position
  23. root — of a plant
  24. calf — of the leg

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