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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: pit · root · band · lash · drill · rest · march · dip

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. drill — army training
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. rest — a break
  6. march — music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. band — a ring
  9. pit — in a race
  10. band — a music group
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pit — a hole
  15. root — of a plant
  16. drill — a practice
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. dip — to sink
  19. march — the month
  20. root — of a word
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. root — the cause
  23. rest — what's left
  24. march — the month

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