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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.

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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: mark · vault · saw · row · root · drill · perch · march

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. march — music
  3. drill — the tool
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. root — of a plant
  6. mark — a grade
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mark — a trace
  9. march — the month
  10. saw — the tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. march — the month
  14. perch — the fish
  15. root — the cause
  16. drill — a practice
  17. row — to paddle
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. vault — a safe
  21. drill — army training
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. root — of a word
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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