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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 120 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: snap · bark · pitcher · drill · root · file · pound · pass

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. file — a tool
  3. pound — a weight
  4. drill — army training
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. root — of a word
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. root — of a plant
  16. snap — to click
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. file — a document
  19. pass — a permit
  20. root — the cause
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. file — a line of people
  24. drill — a practice

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