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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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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: track · drill · bore · root · mark · clip · snap · cell

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. root — of a word
  6. cell — a phone
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mark — a trace
  9. clip — to cut
  10. track — a song
  11. root — the cause
  12. bore — to drill
  13. clip — for paper
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. drill — army training
  18. bore — to tire
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. clip — a video
  21. snap — to click
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mark — a grade

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