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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bore — to tire
  4. club — for golf
  5. bear — the animal
  6. row — to paddle
  7. march — the month
  8. lean — thin
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. club — for dancing
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bear — the animal
  17. march — the month
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. club — a group
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. row — a line
  23. root — of a word
  24. bore — to drill

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