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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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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: row · roll · jam · race · coach · clip · shower · root

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. race — a contest
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. root — of a plant
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. shower — rain
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. shower — to wash
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. roll — a list
  16. clip — for paper
  17. row — to paddle
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. root — the cause
  20. row — a line
  21. clip — a video
  22. roll — a cake
  23. clip — to cut
  24. root — of a word

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