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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. club — a group
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. march — music
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. club — for dancing
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bore — to tire
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. date — the fruit
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bore — to drill
  15. branch — a division
  16. root — of a word
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. club — for golf
  19. root — the cause
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. root — of a plant

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