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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 116 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: court · straw · ground · row · stand · root · drill · mouse

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. drill — army training
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. root — the cause
  6. drill — the tool
  7. court — for sport
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. root — of a word
  10. ground — crushed
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stand — to bear
  13. drill — a practice
  14. court — of a king
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. court — of law
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. root — of a plant
  24. straw — a straw man

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