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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 120 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: game · hide · wave · pound · temple · firm · drill · root

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — a company
  4. pound — a weight
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. root — of a word
  9. game — a match
  10. drill — army training
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. root — of a plant
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. drill — the tool
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. game — wild animals
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. drill — a practice
  24. root — the cause

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