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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: mug · saw · wound · race · file · drill · safe · root

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. drill — the tool
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. race — a contest
  6. mug — a cup
  7. file — a tool
  8. race — the arms race
  9. drill — army training
  10. root — the cause
  11. file — a line of people
  12. race — humankind
  13. mug — a face
  14. root — of a word
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mug — to rob
  17. saw — the tool
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. drill — a practice
  22. file — a document
  23. wound — an injury
  24. root — of a plant

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