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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: ball · root · file · prune · degree · fall · can · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. file — a line of people
  4. can — to be able to
  5. root — the cause
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. degree — from a university
  10. root — of a plant
  11. degree — temperature
  12. root — of a word
  13. file — a tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. fall — to drop
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. prune — to trim
  19. can — a tin
  20. degree — an amount
  21. file — a document
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. ball — a dance

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