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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: staff · rule · root · ground · patient · drill · hand · stick

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. root — the cause
  3. rule — government
  4. staff — employees
  5. ground — the earth
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hand — help
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. root — of a word
  10. rule — a law
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. drill — the tool
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. root — of a plant
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. ground — a position

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