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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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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: root · patient · can · ruler · fork · perch · file · shower

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. root — of a word
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. root — of a plant
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. can — a tin
  7. file — a document
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. shower — rain
  10. can — a tin
  11. root — the cause
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. file — a tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. shower — to wash
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. file — a line of people
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. perch — the fish

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