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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: drill · branch · squash · march · bowl · root · pitcher · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. root — of a plant
  3. march — the month
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. drill — a practice
  6. game — wild animals
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. root — of a word
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. march — the month
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. drill — army training
  19. root — the cause
  20. march — music
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. drill — the tool
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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