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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: tear · lash · hand · lean · march · band · perch · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. march — the month
  3. lean — to bend
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. march — the month
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. tear — from crying
  11. band — a music group
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. band — a ring
  15. perch — the fish
  16. lean — thin
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tear — from crying
  24. march — music

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