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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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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 · mark · root · fall · pit · club · mug · saw

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mug — a cup
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pit — in a race
  7. shower — rain
  8. root — of a plant
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fall — to drop
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. fall — the season
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mug — a face
  19. saw — the tool
  20. root — of a word
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mug — to rob
  23. root — the cause
  24. mark — a grade

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