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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. march — music
  4. pitch — completely
  5. present — a gift
  6. wax — to grow
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. drill — army training
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. root — of a plant
  13. present — the time now
  14. bulb — for light
  15. root — of a word
  16. bulb — for light
  17. march — the month
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. root — the cause
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. present — there
  22. march — the month
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pitch — a sports field

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