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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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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: root · season · bowl · shower · cue · present · arm · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. present — there
  3. shower — to wash
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. root — of a word
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. root — of a plant
  8. season — of the year
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. present — the time now
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. season — in sport
  17. shower — rain
  18. staff — a stick
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. staff — employees
  21. cue — a signal
  22. root — the cause
  23. cue — a hint
  24. present — a gift

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