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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 120 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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. root — of a word
  2. race — humankind
  3. club — a group
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. drill — army training
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bear — the animal
  12. race — a contest
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. drill — the tool
  15. club — for dancing
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bear — the animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. club — for golf
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. root — the cause
  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