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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: hide · root · pitcher · shower · cap · wave · fork · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. toast — bread
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. root — of a word
  6. shower — to wash
  7. root — the cause
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. shower — rain
  24. pitcher — a jug

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