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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. root — of a plant
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. drill — a practice
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rash — hasty
  9. root — of a word
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. stem — to come from
  12. root — the cause
  13. rule — a law
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. rash — a series
  16. rule — government
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. can — a tin
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. drill — army training
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stem — a stem cell

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