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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: firm · jam · date · dip · shower · root · racket · arm

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. root — the cause
  4. firm — decided
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. firm — steady
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. dip — to sink
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. date — the fruit
  20. shower — rain
  21. root — of a plant
  22. firm — a company
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. root — of a word

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