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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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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: net · shower · root · prune · dip · racket · cell · snap

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. net — in sport
  3. dip — to sink
  4. net — for catching
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. root — of a word
  9. prune — to trim
  10. net — after costs
  11. shower — rain
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. root — the cause
  17. cell — in biology
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. shower — to wash
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. root — of a plant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. snap — to click

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