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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: drill · bore · rock · last · rash · root

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. last — to go on
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. root — the cause
  6. drill — army training
  7. bore — to drill
  8. last — finally
  9. rash — a series
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bore — to tire
  12. root — of a word
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. last — final
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rock — music
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bore — gave birth

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