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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: root · mouse · racket · land · present · season · tear · shower

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. land — to come down
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. season — in sport
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. land — ground
  10. season — of the year
  11. root — the cause
  12. shower — to wash
  13. tear — to rip
  14. present — there
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. present — a gift
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tear — from crying
  20. root — of a word
  21. shower — rain
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — a country
  24. present — the time now

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