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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bore — to tire
  4. root — of a word
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. march — the month
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. root — the cause
  10. bore — to drill
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. march — music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. root — of a plant
  23. scale — in music
  24. march — the month

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