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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 120 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. march — the month
  3. root — of a word
  4. shower — rain
  5. root — of a plant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. march — music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. staff — employees
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bore — to drill
  14. march — the month
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bore — to tire
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. staff — employees
  21. mate — a friend
  22. root — the cause
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bore — gave birth

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