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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.

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 · drill · lash · craft · row · file · net · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. row — a line
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. drill — a practice
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. drill — the tool
  9. row — to paddle
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. root — of a plant
  12. drill — army training
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. file — a document
  17. root — the cause
  18. file — a line of people
  19. net — for catching
  20. file — a tool
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — boats
  24. root — of a word

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