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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 116 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: nail · root · snap · spring · drill · kid · stock · present

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stock — shares
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. drill — a practice
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. present — there
  10. present — the time now
  11. root — the cause
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. drill — the tool
  15. root — of a word
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stock — goods
  18. drill — army training
  19. kid — to tease
  20. present — a gift
  21. snap — to click
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. root — of a plant

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