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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. root — of a word
  3. march — the month
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. squash — to crush
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — for money
  8. root — of a plant
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. march — music
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bass — low music
  13. bank — for money
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pop — to visit
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pop — soda
  19. track — a song
  20. root — the cause
  21. track — a path
  22. bank — of a river
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pop — 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