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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: root · land · drill · fan · lean · arm · can · prune

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. drill — the tool
  3. root — of a word
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. land — a country
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. can — a tin
  13. root — the cause
  14. drill — a practice
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. can — a tin
  22. root — of a plant
  23. can — to be able to
  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