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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. root — of a word
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. root — of a plant
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lean — thin
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bear — the animal
  17. lean — to bend
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chest — a box
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bear — to put up with
  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