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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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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: board · date · staff · root · file · march · bass · hand

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. file — a tool
  5. board — to get on
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. board — a committee
  8. hand — help
  9. file — a line of people
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bass — the fish
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. bass — low music
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. file — a document
  23. march — the month
  24. hand — in cards

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