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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.

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 · bark · pitcher · pop · pass · straw · patient · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. root — of a plant
  7. drill — army training
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pop — music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pop — soda
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pop — to visit
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. drill — the tool
  23. root — the cause
  24. patient — a sick person

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