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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. roll — a list
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. date — the fruit
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. root — of a plant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. root — of a word
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. prune — to trim
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. file — a tool
  23. root — the cause
  24. file — a line of people

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