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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · ground · last · root · bowl · shower · pop · straw

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a plant
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. last — finally
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. root — of a word
  12. mate — to breed
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pop — music
  16. shower — rain
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. ground — a position
  24. mate — a friend

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