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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: ruler · bear · spell · track · cold · root · arm · drill

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. root — the cause
  3. drill — army training
  4. spell — letters
  5. drill — a practice
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. spell — a short time
  8. root — of a word
  9. cold — not warm
  10. track — a path
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. cold — an illness
  15. root — of a plant
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bear — the animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spell — magic

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