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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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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: track · kid · hand · bear · drill · root

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. drill — the tool
  4. root — of a word
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. hand — in cards
  8. root — of a plant
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hand — help
  12. drill — a practice
  13. track — a song
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. root — the cause
  18. track — a path

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