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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: stock · drill · cue · band · pitcher · fine · bore · root

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. band — a ring
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. drill — army training
  7. stock — shares
  8. fine — high quality
  9. drill — the tool
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. drill — a practice
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. band — a music group
  15. bore — to tire
  16. root — of a plant
  17. fine — all right
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. stock — goods
  20. root — the cause
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. root — of a word
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bore — to drill

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