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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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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: tube · root · shower · cabinet · net · lie · ground · mate

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. net — in sport
  3. ground — a position
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. root — of a word
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. root — of a plant
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tube — the underground
  17. root — the cause
  18. tube — a container
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mate — a partner

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