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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: track · shower · mouse · nail · row · prune · roll · root

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. roll — a cake
  5. track — a song
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. root — of a word
  12. prune — to trim
  13. roll — a list
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. root — the cause
  16. track — to keep track
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. row — a line
  19. shower — rain
  20. row — to paddle
  21. track — a path
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. shower — to wash
  24. root — of a plant

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