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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. root — of a plant
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. root — of a word
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wake — a trail
  7. track — a path
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. march — the month
  10. track — a song
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. saw — the tool
  13. march — the month
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. root — the cause
  24. scale — in music

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