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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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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: current · hand · row · track · file · shower · prune · trunk

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. current — of water
  3. file — a tool
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. current — happening now
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. track — to keep track
  8. shower — to wash
  9. track — a path
  10. file — a line of people
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. hand — help
  13. prune — to trim
  14. current — electric
  15. track — a song
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. file — a document
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. prune — to trim
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. shower — rain

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