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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 · drill · tube · hide · ground · swing · sharp · spring

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. tube — the underground
  3. swing — music
  4. ground — a position
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. drill — army training
  7. root — of a plant
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. tube — a container
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. root — of a word
  12. spring — the season
  13. ground — the earth
  14. spring — of water
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. ground — crushed
  18. sharp — clever
  19. root — the cause
  20. swing — in golf
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. swing — to play on
  24. hide — to keep secret

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