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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. root — of a word
  7. squash — to crush
  8. present — a gift
  9. root — the cause
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pop — to visit
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. present — there
  15. land — a country
  16. march — the month
  17. root — of a plant
  18. squash — the sport
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. march — music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. present — the time now

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