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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: march · land · safe · pit · patient · sharp · bound · root

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. land — ground
  6. march — the month
  7. land — to come down
  8. bound — certain
  9. root — of a plant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bound — obliged
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. march — the month
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bound — tied together
  21. root — of a word
  22. land — a country
  23. pit — in a race
  24. root — the cause

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