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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: band · press · march · fork · fan · root · mate · cabinet

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. march — the month
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. root — of a word
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. band — a ring
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a music group
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. fork — in a road
  17. press — to push
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. march — the month
  21. root — the cause
  22. march — music
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. root — of a plant

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