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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.

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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: trunk · root · pop · shower · clip · pass · nail · hand

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. root — of a word
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. root — the cause
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. shower — rain
  10. clip — a video
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. clip — for paper
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pop — to visit
  18. hand — help
  19. pass — a permit
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pop — soda
  23. root — of a plant
  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