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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 116 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: drill · pitcher · present · shower · march · spring · root · bulb

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. spring — of water
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. shower — rain
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. march — the month
  8. drill — army training
  9. bulb — for light
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. drill — a practice
  13. present — there
  14. shower — to wash
  15. spring — the season
  16. present — the time now
  17. bulb — for light
  18. march — the month
  19. root — the cause
  20. spring — a coil
  21. present — a gift
  22. drill — the tool
  23. march — music
  24. root — of a word

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