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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. drill — the tool
  3. march — the month
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. march — the month
  6. shower — rain
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — shares
  10. root — the cause
  11. rock — music
  12. root — of a plant
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wound — an injury
  16. root — of a word
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. stock — goods
  19. drill — army training
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. march — music
  24. drill — a practice

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