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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: land · roll · root · wake · squash · chair · shower · track

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. land — ground
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. shower — rain
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. root — the cause
  8. squash — the sport
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. track — a path
  12. roll — a cake
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. land — to come down
  15. track — to keep track
  16. root — of a word
  17. wake — a trail
  18. roll — a list
  19. track — a song
  20. root — of a plant
  21. squash — to crush
  22. land — a country
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. chair — to sit on

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