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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: bulb · march · bore · band · date · board · wake · root

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. march — the month
  5. root — of a word
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. board — a committee
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. march — the month
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. board — to get on
  16. march — music
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wake — a trail
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bulb — for light
  23. root — the cause
  24. wake — before a funeral

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