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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fine · rest · mine · press · root · track · trunk

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fine — all right
  4. root — of a word
  5. press — newspapers
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rest — a break
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. track — a path
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fine — high quality
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. root — the cause
  19. mine — for digging
  20. track — a song
  21. press — to push
  22. rest — what's left
  23. press — a publisher
  24. rest — what's left

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