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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: field · roll · root · pop · march · can · rush · wake

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. roll — a cake
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. root — the cause
  5. roll — a list
  6. march — music
  7. rush — hurry
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. march — the month
  12. pop — to visit
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. root — of a plant
  16. can — a tin
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. field — for sport
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. root — of a word
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wake — a trail
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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