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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 116 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: shower · lean · rush · plane · season · tear · track · root

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. track — a path
  3. lean — thin
  4. root — of a word
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. tear — from crying
  7. shower — rain
  8. track — to keep track
  9. plane — a tool
  10. rush — hurry
  11. track — a song
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. lean — to bend
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. root — the cause
  16. season — of the year
  17. shower — to wash
  18. tear — from crying
  19. root — of a plant
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. season — in sport
  24. tear — to rip

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