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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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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: march · band · root · mark · snap · bat · calf · squash

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. snap — to click
  5. root — of a plant
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. root — the cause
  11. march — the month
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. band — a ring
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bat — the animal
  18. squash — to crush
  19. root — of a word
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a music group
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. squash — the vegetable

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