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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 124 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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Word bank
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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: root · roll · drill · hand · prune · safe

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. 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. prune — to trim
  3. hand — in cards
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a cake
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. drill — a practice
  9. roll — a list
  10. drill — army training
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. root — of a plant
  16. drill — the tool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. 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