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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 120 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: rash · nail · fork · bat · net · root · file · straw

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. root — the cause
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bat — the animal
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. net — for catching
  23. rash — a series
  24. file — a tool

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