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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
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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: foot · mine · root · chair · saw · drill · shower · fine

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. chair — a leader
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. shower — rain
  8. root — of a word
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. saw — the tool
  19. root — the cause
  20. mine — for digging
  21. root — of a plant
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. foot — a measure
  24. shower — to wash

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