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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: race · present · drill · pound · craft · root · rush · mate

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. craft — a skill
  3. root — of a word
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. craft — boats
  8. present — there
  9. pound — a weight
  10. mate — to breed
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mate — a partner
  16. drill — army training
  17. race — a contest
  18. present — a gift
  19. race — humankind
  20. present — the time now
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mate — a friend
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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