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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.

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: kid · game · content · mark · wound · net · root · drill

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. drill — army training
  3. root — the cause
  4. game — a match
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mark — a trace
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. net — for catching
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mark — a grade
  15. drill — a practice
  16. game — wild animals
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. root — of a plant
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. content — the amount
  24. wound — an injury

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