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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: root · mine · press · drill · mark · wax · jam · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. root — of a plant
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. drill — army training
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. press — to push
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wax — to grow
  18. root — of a word
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. root — the cause
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mine — for digging
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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