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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: hand · row · root · present · drill · net · track · bore

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bore — to drill
  3. drill — army training
  4. net — in sport
  5. row — to paddle
  6. track — a path
  7. root — of a word
  8. present — a gift
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a plant
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. net — for catching
  13. bore — to tire
  14. net — after costs
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. track — to keep track
  18. present — there
  19. track — a song
  20. row — a line
  21. drill — the tool
  22. present — the time now
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. drill — a practice

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