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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: bank · cold · wound · bulb · hide · march · saw · root

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. march — the month
  3. bank — of a river
  4. march — music
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bank — for money
  7. root — of a word
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bank — for money
  11. root — the cause
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. root — of a plant
  19. saw — the tool
  20. march — the month
  21. cold — an illness
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bulb — for light
  24. hide — to keep secret

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