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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · land · root · bore · trunk · march · roll · squash

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. land — to come down
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. march — the month
  5. bore — to drill
  6. march — music
  7. kid — child
  8. squash — to crush
  9. root — the cause
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. land — ground
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bore — to tire
  14. roll — a cake
  15. kid — to tease
  16. root — of a word
  17. roll — a list
  18. land — a country
  19. march — the month
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bore — gave birth

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