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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: row · land · object · lie · drill · chest · root · present

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. root — of a plant
  2. object — an aim
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. land — ground
  6. present — a gift
  7. root — the cause
  8. object — a thing
  9. chest — of your body
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. drill — the tool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. land — a country
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. land — to come down
  17. row — a line
  18. lie — to recline
  19. chest — a box
  20. drill — army training
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. object — to protest
  23. root — of a word
  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