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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. root — the cause
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. kid — child
  8. march — the month
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. kid — to tease
  11. march — music
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. root — of a word
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bass — the fish

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