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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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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: band · root · rule · march · firm · snap · drill · bay

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. band — a music group
  3. firm — steady
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. drill — a practice
  6. root — the cause
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. root — of a word
  9. march — the month
  10. rule — a law
  11. march — music
  12. snap — to click
  13. band — a ring
  14. firm — decided
  15. drill — army training
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rule — government
  21. drill — the tool
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. march — the month
  24. root — of a plant

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