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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 116 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: cap · nail · root · stick · shower · file · tear · straw

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. root — the cause
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. file — a tool
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. file — a line of people
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. file — a document
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. root — of a word
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cap — a lid
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. shower — rain
  22. tear — from crying
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cap — a hat

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