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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. drill — a practice
  4. race — a contest
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. root — of a plant
  10. drill — the tool
  11. object — to protest
  12. root — of a word
  13. object — an aim
  14. staff — employees
  15. race — humankind
  16. wound — an injury
  17. staff — a stick
  18. race — the arms race
  19. root — the cause
  20. object — a thing
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. drill — army training
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. staff — employees

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