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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: drill · spell · shower · bear · root · pit · key · wind

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. drill — the tool
  6. shower — rain
  7. root — of a plant
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pit — a hole
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bear — the animal
  14. root — the cause
  15. spell — a short time
  16. root — of a word
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. shower — to wash
  20. drill — army training
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. spell — letters
  23. pit — in a race
  24. spell — magic

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