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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: saw · roll · drill · suit · root · stick · snap · clip

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. root — of a plant
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — clothes
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. drill — a practice
  13. root — the cause
  14. roll — a list
  15. saw — the tool
  16. snap — to click
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. suit — in cards
  19. saw — the tool
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. clip — a video
  23. root — of a word
  24. roll — on a roll

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