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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mate — a partner
  3. root — the cause
  4. wound — an injury
  5. present — the time now
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. march — the month
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bass — low music
  16. present — there
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. march — music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mine — for digging
  21. root — of a plant
  22. craft — boats
  23. root — of a word
  24. present — a gift

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