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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: mouse · root · wind · game · craft · stem · kick · shower

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. shower — rain
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kick — in football
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. root — of a plant
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. craft — a skill
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. stem — to come from
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wind — moving air
  21. game — a match
  22. craft — boats
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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