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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: perch · safe · bark · drill · mate · lean · root · march

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. drill — army training
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. march — the month
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bark — to shout
  7. drill — a practice
  8. march — the month
  9. mate — a friend
  10. root — of a word
  11. lean — to bend
  12. root — of a plant
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. perch — the fish
  15. lean — thin
  16. march — music
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mate — to breed
  22. drill — the tool
  23. root — the cause
  24. perch — for a bird

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