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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: lie · cold · march · root · fan · shower · firm · bound

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. root — the cause
  3. march — music
  4. root — of a plant
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bound — certain
  9. root — of a word
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bound — obliged
  13. lie — to recline
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — decided
  16. march — the month
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bound — tied together
  19. march — the month
  20. firm — a company
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. shower — to wash
  24. cold — not warm

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