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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: root · bank · drill · net · march · cue · last · arm

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. cue — a signal
  3. march — music
  4. root — of a word
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. drill — the tool
  8. last — to go on
  9. bank — of a river
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bank — for money
  13. root — of a plant
  14. last — final
  15. march — the month
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. last — finally
  18. cue — for pool
  19. drill — army training
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. march — the month
  22. bank — for money
  23. net — after costs
  24. root — the cause

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