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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 · spell · root · mug · march · pitcher · mark · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. march — music
  3. root — of a plant
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. spell — magic
  6. march — the month
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spell — a short time
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. root — the cause
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. board — a committee
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. spell — letters
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mug — a cup
  22. march — the month
  23. root — of a word
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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