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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: rock · fan · dip · rule · track · shower · root · cue

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rock — music
  6. track — a song
  7. root — of a plant
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cue — a signal
  17. dip — to sink
  18. shower — rain
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rock — a stone
  23. track — a path
  24. root — the cause

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