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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: board · row · rock · season · shower · root · pop · hide

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. root — the cause
  3. row — a line
  4. rock — a stone
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. root — of a plant
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. season — in sport
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. pop — music
  16. root — of a word
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. board — to get on
  19. season — of the year
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. row — to paddle
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rock — music

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