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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: mug · jam · kick · drill · root · deal · saw · stem

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mug — to rob
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mug — a face
  7. drill — army training
  8. saw — the tool
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. stem — to come from
  11. kick — in football
  12. saw — the tool
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. root — of a word
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mug — a cup
  20. deal — to handle
  21. drill — the tool
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. stem — of a plant

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