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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · drill · key · nail · mine · band · file · root

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mug — a face
  4. key — the most important part
  5. band — a ring
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. file — a line of people
  9. band — a music group
  10. mug — to rob
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. drill — the tool
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. root — the cause
  15. drill — a practice
  16. key — for a lock
  17. drill — army training
  18. mug — a cup
  19. file — a tool
  20. key — in music
  21. root — of a word
  22. file — a document
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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