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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: squash · drill · shower · craft · land · march · season · root

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. root — of a word
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. squash — to crush
  7. march — the month
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. season — in sport
  10. root — of a plant
  11. craft — a skill
  12. land — ground
  13. squash — the sport
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. season — of the year
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. shower — to wash
  20. craft — boats
  21. root — the cause
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. march — music
  24. shower — rain

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