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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.

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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: straw · date · march · staff · pop · root · mate · bulb

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. date — the fruit
  3. root — of a word
  4. staff — a stick
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pop — soda
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. root — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mate — to breed
  13. march — the month
  14. pop — music
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bulb — for light
  17. staff — employees
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. root — the cause
  20. mate — a friend
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. march — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bulb — for light

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