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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: object · shower · arm · kid · wave · root · content · fan

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. object — to protest
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. object — a thing
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. object — an aim
  14. content — the amount
  15. shower — rain
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. root — of a word
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — child
  23. shower — to wash
  24. arm — part of the body

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