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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
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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: hand · key · root · prune · cold · rush · kick · shower

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. root — the cause
  4. hand — help
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. root — of a plant
  9. shower — rain
  10. prune — to trim
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cold — not warm
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. kick — in football
  17. key — the most important part
  18. root — of a word
  19. key — in music
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cold — an illness
  22. key — for a lock
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rush — hurry

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