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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · mug · season · mark · drill · track · root · pound

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. drill — army training
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mug — a face
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. root — the cause
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mark — a trace
  11. season — of the year
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. mark — a grade
  18. drill — a practice
  19. track — to keep track
  20. season — in sport
  21. root — of a word
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pound — a weight

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