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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: fan · bear · pitcher · drill · cue · root · wake · face

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cue — a hint
  7. face — to confront
  8. drill — the tool
  9. root — of a plant
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cue — a signal
  12. face — to point toward
  13. drill — army training
  14. root — the cause
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. root — of a word
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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