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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · racket · drill · root · land · deal

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. land — to come down
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. land — a country
  8. root — the cause
  9. drill — army training
  10. bank — of a river
  11. root — of a plant
  12. deal — to handle
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. land — ground
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. drill — the tool

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