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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
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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: bay · mine · drill · date · fall · root · game · can

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fall — to drop
  3. game — a match
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. drill — the tool
  7. root — of a plant
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fall — the season
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. root — of a word
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. root — the cause
  21. can — a tin
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. can — a tin
  24. bay — a horse colour

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