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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. root — of a word
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. firm — steady
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. march — the month
  8. firm — a company
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. club — for dancing
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. root — the cause
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. march — the month
  18. firm — decided
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. club — a group
  22. root — of a plant
  23. club — for golf
  24. patient — a sick person

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