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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: root · squash · pit · calf · ground · tear · drill · bay

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. pit — in a race
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. squash — the sport
  6. drill — the tool
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. root — the cause
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. tear — from crying
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. ground — a position
  16. drill — army training
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pit — a hole
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. drill — a practice
  21. tear — from crying
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. ground — the earth

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