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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 120 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: root · stick · sharp · saw · shower · drill · game · lean

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. drill — army training
  3. game — wild animals
  4. drill — a practice
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lean — thin
  7. drill — the tool
  8. shower — rain
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. sharp — clever
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. root — the cause
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lean — to bend
  23. shower — to wash
  24. game — a match

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