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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: drill · straw · object · pound · track · root · tube · nail

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. track — to keep track
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. object — a thing
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. track — a song
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. drill — army training
  15. pound — a weight
  16. tube — the underground
  17. object — to protest
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. track — a path
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. root — the cause
  23. tube — a container
  24. object — an aim

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