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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 120 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 · prune · swing · game · root · tube · sharp · patient

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. game — wild animals
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. tube — the underground
  7. drill — a practice
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. swing — in golf
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. game — a match
  13. sharp — clever
  14. drill — the tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. root — of a word
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. root — the cause
  19. prune — to trim
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. drill — army training
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tube — a container

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