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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 120 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: club · lash · wake · rock · hand · root · bound · shower

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. root — of a plant
  6. hand — help
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wake — a trail
  9. club — for golf
  10. rock — music
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rock — a stone
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bound — certain
  18. root — the cause
  19. shower — rain
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. lash — to lash out

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