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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. root — of a plant
  3. march — the month
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. spring — of water
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — music
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wound — an injury
  15. root — the cause
  16. toast — bread
  17. drill — army training
  18. board — to get on
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. root — of a word
  23. march — the month
  24. board — a committee

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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