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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: saw · board · march · staff · pitcher · net · content · root

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. march — the month
  3. net — for catching
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. staff — employees
  6. root — of a plant
  7. board — a committee
  8. saw — the tool
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. root — the cause
  11. net — after costs
  12. content — the amount
  13. staff — employees
  14. root — of a word
  15. net — in sport
  16. march — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. march — the month
  22. saw — the tool
  23. board — to get on
  24. content — happy

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