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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: drill · nail · deal · present · roll · root · mine · sharp

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. mine — for digging
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. present — there
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. drill — a practice
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. drill — army training
  12. roll — a list
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. deal — to handle
  16. drill — the tool
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. present — a gift
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. roll — a cake
  23. present — the time now
  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