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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · drill · field · cold · object · bulb · key · root

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. cold — not warm
  3. drill — army training
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bulb — for light
  6. root — of a plant
  7. key — the most important part
  8. hand — in cards
  9. field — farmland
  10. key — for a lock
  11. root — the cause
  12. object — a thing
  13. field — for sport
  14. cold — an illness
  15. object — to protest
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. key — in music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. root — of a word
  23. object — an aim
  24. field — a subject

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