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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. drill — a practice
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. drill — army training
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. drill — the tool
  7. shower — rain
  8. root — of a word
  9. march — the month
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. prune — to trim
  13. shower — to wash
  14. root — the cause
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. content — happy
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. march — music
  19. content — the amount
  20. prune — to trim
  21. root — of a plant
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fan — to cool the air

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