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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: drill · mate · row · hand · track · plane · vault · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. track — a song
  3. mate — to breed
  4. row — to paddle
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. track — a path
  9. hand — in cards
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. row — a line
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. hand — help
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. mate — a partner
  20. drill — the tool
  21. track — to keep track
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mate — a friend
  24. root — the cause

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