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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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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: track · ruler · hide · shower · pound · root · land · clip

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. land — to come down
  6. track — to keep track
  7. land — ground
  8. pound — a weight
  9. land — a country
  10. clip — for paper
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. track — a song
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. root — the cause
  17. track — a path
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. shower — to wash
  24. hide — to keep secret

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