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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: spring · can · row · root · foot · mouse · wound · file

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. spring — of water
  3. file — a document
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. row — a line
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. can — a tin
  9. root — of a word
  10. can — to be able to
  11. root — the cause
  12. can — a tin
  13. row — to paddle
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wound — an injury
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. file — a line of people
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. file — a tool
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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