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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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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. key — in music
  6. root — of a plant
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. drill — a practice
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. firm — decided
  12. pop — music
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. drill — the tool
  16. root — the cause
  17. pop — soda
  18. root — of a word
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pop — to visit
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. firm — steady
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. firm — a company

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