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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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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: racket · straw · track · wave · root · club · shower · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. row — a line
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. shower — rain
  6. root — of a plant
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. club — for dancing
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. track — a path
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. straw — a straw man

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