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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 · pitcher · lie · root · vault · ground · band · bass

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ground — a position
  6. root — of a plant
  7. lie — to recline
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. root — the cause
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. band — a ring
  21. ground — the earth
  22. band — a music group
  23. ground — crushed
  24. band — a rubber band

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