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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: root · drill · mine · hand · hide · key · bore · spring

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. hand — part of the body
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bore — to drill
  5. key — for a lock
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bore — to tire
  9. hand — help
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. drill — army training
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. spring — the season
  14. key — in music
  15. spring — of water
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mine — for digging
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. key — the most important part
  21. root — of a word
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. root — the cause
  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