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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 116 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: staff · drill · track · court · root · can · wind · stick

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. root — of a plant
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. court — for sport
  5. root — of a word
  6. court — of law
  7. drill — the tool
  8. can — a tin
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. track — a path
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — a stick
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. track — a song
  21. drill — army training
  22. staff — employees
  23. court — of a king
  24. root — the cause

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