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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · stem · calf · mark · march · bark · season · bore

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mark — a grade
  4. season — of the year
  5. stem — to come from
  6. mark — a trace
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. root — the cause
  9. bore — to tire
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. root — of a plant
  12. season — in sport
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. march — the month
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. root — of a word
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. march — the month
  24. bore — gave birth

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