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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: firm · track · wind · rash · fork · drill · pitcher · root

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. fork — in a road
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. drill — a practice
  7. rash — hasty
  8. root — of a word
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wind — moving air
  13. drill — the tool
  14. root — the cause
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. track — a song
  18. firm — decided
  19. drill — army training
  20. rash — a series
  21. firm — a company
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — a path

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