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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 · band · key · root · wound · nail · racket · foot

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. band — a music group
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. root — of a plant
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. root — the cause
  8. row — to paddle
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. band — a ring
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. key — for a lock
  17. wound — an injury
  18. key — in music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. row — a line
  21. root — of a word
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. racket — for tennis

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