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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: pit · calf · mine · root · mark · jam · temple · march

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. root — the cause
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pit — a hole
  11. march — music
  12. pit — in a race
  13. march — the month
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. mark — a grade
  23. temple — side of the head
  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