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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fine — high quality
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. drill — the tool
  8. root — of a word
  9. bark — to shout
  10. drill — a practice
  11. root — the cause
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cue — for pool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — in a race
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. row — a line

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