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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.

Make a worksheet

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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468
Word bank
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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. march — music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. root — of a word
  8. wind — moving air
  9. root — of a plant
  10. scale — in music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. scale — size or range
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. root — the cause
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. kick — in football
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. saw — the tool

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