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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: ground · fork · bay · root · wound · shower · hide · stand

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. ground — the earth
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. shower — rain
  15. root — of a plant
  16. shower — to wash
  17. root — the cause
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. root — of a word
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. hide — to keep secret

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