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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: season · mug · root · swing · cap · content · march · fork

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. root — of a plant
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — happy
  5. cap — a lid
  6. march — the month
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. season — of the year
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mug — a face
  12. root — the cause
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. content — the amount
  18. mug — a cup
  19. march — the month
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. root — of a word
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mug — to rob

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