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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: drill · root · board · degree · march · prune · pitcher · capital

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. march — the month
  3. root — of a plant
  4. drill — a practice
  5. root — the cause
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a city
  9. prune — to trim
  10. march — the month
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. board — to get on
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — from a university
  15. capital — money
  16. drill — army training
  17. prune — to trim
  18. degree — temperature
  19. board — a committee
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. march — music
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. root — of a word

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