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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: bark · wave · drill · wind · band · root · fine · temple

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. band — a ring
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. band — a music group
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bark — to shout
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. fine — all right
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. drill — army training
  24. bark — of a tree

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