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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pitcher · cold · pit · mouse · rush · row · drill

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. drill — a practice
  3. root — the cause
  4. pit — in a race
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. root — of a word
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. row — a line
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. cold — not warm
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. drill — army training

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