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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stick · clip · wax · root · drill · spring · date · land

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. land — to come down
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. land — ground
  8. spring — of water
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. land — a country
  13. drill — army training
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wax — to grow
  18. spring — the season
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. root — of a word
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. spring — a coil
  23. root — of a plant
  24. date — the fruit

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