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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: wound · drill · capital · rash · prune · root · march · perch

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rash — a series
  5. march — the month
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — the tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. march — music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. root — the cause
  19. march — the month
  20. prune — to trim
  21. root — of a word
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. root — of a plant
  24. rash — hasty

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