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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: bore · hide · ground · key · net · row · file · root

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. net — for catching
  4. root — the cause
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. key — in music
  8. ground — a position
  9. net — in sport
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bore — to drill
  12. root — of a word
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. root — of a plant
  16. net — after costs
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. row — to paddle
  21. key — the most important part
  22. file — a document
  23. key — for a lock
  24. row — a quarrel

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