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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.

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: bowl · shower · court · bulb · root · cold · plane · net

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. root — the cause
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bulb — for light
  11. court — of law
  12. root — of a word
  13. net — in sport
  14. court — for sport
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cold — not warm
  17. root — of a plant
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. shower — rain
  20. bulb — for light
  21. court — of a king
  22. cold — an illness
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bowl — to roll

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