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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: shower · root · firm · field · file · cue · calf · rash

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. field — a subject
  3. file — a tool
  4. cue — for pool
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — a company
  8. field — for sport
  9. firm — decided
  10. rash — hasty
  11. shower — rain
  12. root — of a plant
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. root — the cause
  16. file — a line of people
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. file — a document
  19. field — farmland
  20. shower — to wash
  21. root — of a word
  22. cue — a signal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rash — a series

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