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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 · date · straw · drill · arm · pitcher · bound · fall

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. fall — the season
  3. bound — obliged
  4. date — the fruit
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bound — tied together
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bound — certain
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. root — of a word
  17. drill — army training
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fall — to drop
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. arm — part of the body

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