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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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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: date · nail · bowl · wake · drill · root · swing · clip

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. drill — the tool
  3. clip — for paper
  4. drill — army training
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. date — the fruit
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wake — a trail
  11. drill — a practice
  12. swing — to play on
  13. clip — a video
  14. swing — music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. root — of a word
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. root — the cause
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. clip — to cut

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