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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: pitcher · march · calf · band · sharp · root · drill · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. root — of a word
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. drill — a practice
  5. march — music
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — the tool
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — to crush
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. march — the month
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. root — of a plant
  19. band — a music group
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. band — a ring
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. root — the cause
  24. sharp — clever

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