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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: cell · row · last · file · bore · march · lie · root

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. row — a line
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. cell — a phone
  6. root — the cause
  7. lie — to recline
  8. march — the month
  9. bore — to tire
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. root — of a word
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. march — the month
  14. row — to paddle
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. file — a document
  17. root — of a plant
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. file — a line of people
  20. march — music
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. last — final
  24. file — a tool

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