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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 120 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: bound · march · kick · root · foot · squash · land · rule

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rule — a law
  5. march — the month
  6. rule — government
  7. bound — obliged
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. land — a country
  11. squash — to crush
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. kick — in football
  14. march — the month
  15. land — ground
  16. root — of a plant
  17. march — music
  18. root — the cause
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bound — tied together
  21. root — of a word
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bound — certain
  24. squash — the sport

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