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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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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: fall · stand · band · drill · chest · ruler · root · key

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. fall — the season
  3. band — a music group
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. key — for a lock
  6. stand — to bear
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chest — a box
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. drill — army training
  11. key — in music
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chest — of your body
  15. root — of a plant
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. key — the most important part
  21. band — a ring
  22. root — the cause
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. root — of a word

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