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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: field · saw · drill · roll · root · hand · mug · snap

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. saw — the tool
  4. roll — a cake
  5. field — farmland
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. field — for sport
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. saw — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. root — of a plant
  12. mug — a cup
  13. hand — in cards
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mug — a face
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. roll — a list
  19. mug — to rob
  20. drill — army training
  21. field — a subject
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. drill — the tool

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