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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: root · drill · clip · cap · jam · racket · bowl · staff

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. root — of a plant
  3. clip — a video
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. root — of a word
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. cap — a hat
  11. drill — the tool
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cap — of ice
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. root — the cause
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. drill — army training
  23. cap — a lid
  24. staff — a stick

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