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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: hand · bear · root · drill · key · row · fork · pound

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fork — in a road
  3. drill — a practice
  4. key — the most important part
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. root — the cause
  7. row — a line
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. root — of a word
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. drill — the tool
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hand — help
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. key — in music
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. root — of a plant
  24. hand — in cards

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