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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: last · drill · sharp · perch · fine · root · bore · stem

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. perch — the fish
  3. sharp — clever
  4. last — to go on
  5. root — the cause
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. drill — army training
  8. last — finally
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bore — to tire
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fine — all right
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bore — to drill
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. drill — the tool
  23. last — final
  24. bore — gave birth

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