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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. drill — a practice
  4. root — of a word
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rock — music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. row — a line
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. root — of a plant
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. squash — the sport
  15. tear — from crying
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. root — the cause
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. tear — to rip
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. row — to paddle

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