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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: fan · capital · root · march · toast · wind · mouse · track

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. capital — money
  4. root — of a plant
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. root — the cause
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. wind — moving air
  10. root — of a word
  11. track — a path
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. march — the month
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. toast — bread
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. march — the month

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