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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: bass · root · march · cap · nail · wound · drill · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. cap — a lid
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. root — the cause
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. drill — army training
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. march — the month
  17. root — of a plant
  18. march — the month
  19. root — of a word
  20. march — music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bass — low music

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