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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bound · cold · arm · root · saw · mark · drill · mug

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. root — of a word
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mug — to rob
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cold — an illness
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bound — certain
  14. mug — a cup
  15. saw — the tool
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. root — the cause
  18. drill — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mug — a face
  22. drill — army training
  23. mark — a grade
  24. root — of a plant

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