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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. root — of a word
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mine — for digging
  6. roll — a cake
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. wound — an injury
  9. sharp — clever
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. drill — army training
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. foot — a measure
  19. roll — a list
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. root — the cause
  24. bulb — for light

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