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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · row · file · land · nail · pitcher · bear · root

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. file — a document
  3. root — the cause
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. present — a gift
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. file — a tool
  10. row — a line
  11. present — there
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. land — a country
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. present — the time now
  16. root — of a plant
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bear — the animal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. root — of a word
  23. file — a line of people
  24. nail — for a hammer

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