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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: root · stem · hand · snap · last · rule · bass · drill

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. last — to go on
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bass — low music
  6. snap — to click
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bass — the fish
  9. drill — a practice
  10. last — finally
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. hand — help
  14. drill — army training
  15. rule — government
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. hand — in cards
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. drill — the tool
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. last — final

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