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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. root — of a word
  3. craft — a skill
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pop — music
  7. craft — boats
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bore — to drill
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. row — a line
  17. row — to paddle
  18. march — music
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bore — to tire
  22. branch — a division
  23. march — the month
  24. root — the cause

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