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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: bore · root · nail · shower · stem · kick · snap · pitch

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. pitch — completely
  10. kick — in football
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a word
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. shower — rain
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. root — of a plant
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. nail — for a hammer

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