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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. staff — employees
  3. key — for a lock
  4. staff — employees
  5. root — of a word
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. root — the cause
  8. prune — to trim
  9. saw — the tool
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. march — the month
  12. prune — to trim
  13. march — music
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. march — the month
  17. saw — the tool
  18. key — in music
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stock — shares
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. key — the most important part
  24. root — of a plant

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