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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bore — to tire
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. march — the month
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a word
  7. march — music
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. lean — thin
  12. march — the month
  13. rock — a stone
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. root — of a plant
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. lean — to bend
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bore — to drill
  24. leaves — to go away

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