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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: bark · mug · staff · drill · march · leaves · root · prune

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. drill — the tool
  5. root — of a plant
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. staff — a stick
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mug — a cup
  13. root — of a word
  14. drill — army training
  15. mug — a face
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. march — the month
  19. root — the cause
  20. mug — to rob
  21. prune — to trim
  22. staff — employees
  23. drill — a practice
  24. prune — to trim

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