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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: pitcher · clip · roll · root · field · drill · bulb · race

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. roll — a list
  3. field — farmland
  4. clip — to cut
  5. drill — army training
  6. field — for sport
  7. root — of a plant
  8. clip — for paper
  9. race — humankind
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. field — a subject
  14. root — the cause
  15. clip — a video
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. roll — a cake
  19. race — a contest
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bulb — for light
  22. root — of a word
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. race — the arms race

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