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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.

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: root · clip · row · nail · shower · key · band · pitch

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. band — a ring
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. band — a music group
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. root — the cause
  11. clip — a video
  12. row — a line
  13. clip — for paper
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. shower — to wash
  17. root — of a word
  18. pitch — completely
  19. shower — rain
  20. clip — to cut
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. row — to paddle
  23. root — of a plant
  24. key — the most important part

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