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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 116 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: shower · game · nail · squash · mouse · root · spell · ball

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. shower — to wash
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. squash — the sport
  8. shower — rain
  9. spell — a short time
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. game — a match
  13. ball — a dance
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. squash — to crush
  16. ball — a great time
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. root — of a word
  20. spell — magic
  21. root — the cause
  22. spell — letters
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. root — of a plant

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