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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · spring · root · land · can · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. land — a country
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. can — a tin
  6. spring — a coil
  7. can — to be able to
  8. root — of a word
  9. spring — of water
  10. march — music
  11. land — ground
  12. spring — the season
  13. root — the cause
  14. rush — hurry
  15. root — of a plant
  16. can — a tin
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. land — to come down

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