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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · face · shower · game · wound · root · racket · stand

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. shower — rain
  3. root — the cause
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. game — wild animals
  7. root — of a word
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. wound — an injury
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. face — part of the head
  14. game — a match
  15. wound — an injury
  16. root — of a plant
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bass — the fish
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bass — low music
  22. face — to confront
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. shower — to wash

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