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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. drill — a practice
  3. land — ground
  4. bound — obliged
  5. chest — a box
  6. mark — a grade
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bound — tied together
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mark — a trace
  12. land — to come down
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. land — a country
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bound — certain
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. root — of a plant
  23. drill — army training
  24. root — the cause

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