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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. tube — a container
  5. drill — a practice
  6. march — the month
  7. root — the cause
  8. drill — the tool
  9. rash — hasty
  10. season — in sport
  11. root — of a word
  12. pop — music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tube — the underground
  16. season — of the year
  17. rash — a series
  18. march — the month
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pop — soda
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. drill — army training
  23. march — music
  24. pop — to visit

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