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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a plant
  4. march — music
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. present — a gift
  7. row — a line
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rest — a break
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spell — a short time
  14. root — of a word
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. can — a tin
  17. present — the time now
  18. march — the month
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. row — to paddle
  21. march — the month
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. rest — what's left

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