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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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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: drill · snap · mine · board · root · temple · stick · wind

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. root — of a word
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. root — of a plant
  7. drill — a practice
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. root — the cause
  12. board — to get on
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mine — for digging
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wind — moving air
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wind — moving air
  22. drill — army training
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. snap — to click

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