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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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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: rush · net · can · fall · root · row · nail · game

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. root — the cause
  6. net — after costs
  7. row — a line
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. can — a tin
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. row — to paddle
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. game — a match
  18. root — of a word
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. root — of a plant
  21. net — in sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. game — wild animals
  24. net — for catching

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