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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.

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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: pit · drill · root · stem · safe · clip · coach · tear

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. clip — for paper
  5. root — of a word
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pit — a hole
  9. drill — the tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pit — in a race
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. drill — army training
  17. root — of a plant
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stem — to come from
  21. tear — to rip
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. root — the cause
  24. clip — a video

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