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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. drill — army training
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. root — of a word
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. root — of a plant
  10. key — the most important part
  11. saw — the tool
  12. drill — the tool
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pop — soda
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. root — the cause
  24. pop — music

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