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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: arm · fan · march · ground · file · track · root · dip

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. file — a line of people
  5. track — a song
  6. root — of a plant
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a tool
  10. root — of a word
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. track — to keep track
  17. root — the cause
  18. file — a document
  19. dip — to sink
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. track — a path
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. dip — a sauce

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