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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: shower · stick · rock · root · wound · foot · cold · track

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. cold — not warm
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. track — a path
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. root — of a word
  10. wound — an injury
  11. shower — rain
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. foot — a measure
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. track — a song
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rock — music
  22. shower — to wash
  23. root — the cause
  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