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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. root — the cause
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. spring — the season
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. root — of a word
  13. field — for sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. march — the month
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. march — the month
  18. field — farmland
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — of water
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. field — a subject
  24. spring — a coil

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