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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. track — a song
  3. march — the month
  4. bass — the fish
  5. root — the cause
  6. march — the month
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. root — of a word
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. track — a path
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bass — low music
  20. root — of a plant
  21. march — music
  22. bank — for money
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bank — for money

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