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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.

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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. root — of a plant
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. prune — to trim
  5. drill — a practice
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cap — a lid
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. court — for sport
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. court — of a king
  16. cap — of ice
  17. root — of a word
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bass — low music
  20. court — of law
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bass — the fish
  24. root — the cause

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