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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 120 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: bank · straw · rest · season · saw · bear · fan · root

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. root — of a word
  4. rest — a break
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. root — the cause
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bear — the animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bank — of a river
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. root — of a plant
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bear — the animal

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