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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: staff · mark · saw · bulb · march · roll · rash · root

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. staff — employees
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — a series
  8. bulb — for light
  9. staff — employees
  10. root — of a plant
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. staff — a stick
  17. root — the cause
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. saw — the tool
  22. march — music
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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