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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: shower · pit · hide · bear · root · drill · pop · chair

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a word
  4. shower — rain
  5. root — of a plant
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pop — music
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pit — a hole
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. drill — army training
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pop — soda
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pit — in a race
  22. drill — the tool
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pop — to visit

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