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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 116 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.

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: content · bass · drill · dip · wound · root · track · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. drill — the tool
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bass — low music
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. content — the amount
  9. track — a path
  10. bass — the fish
  11. root — of a plant
  12. drill — army training
  13. content — happy
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. dip — to sink
  19. wound — an injury
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. drill — a practice
  22. root — the cause
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. root — of a word

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