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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: bowl · root · cabinet · nail · object · drill · field · kid

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. field — farmland
  3. root — of a word
  4. field — for sport
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. object — to protest
  7. root — of a plant
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. drill — the tool
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. root — the cause
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kid — child
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. object — a thing
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. field — a subject
  23. object — an aim
  24. drill — army training

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