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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
468
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 · fine · pitcher · race · root · prune · row · roll

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. root — the cause
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. race — humankind
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — a list
  11. row — to paddle
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. root — of a plant
  15. drill — army training
  16. race — a contest
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. fine — all right
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — high quality
  21. row — a line
  22. drill — a practice
  23. root — of a word
  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