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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mine — for digging
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. root — of a word
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. branch — a division
  14. spell — letters
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. root — the cause
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wake — a trail
  20. root — of a plant
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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