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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: field · wind · march · bear · game · bay · fan · mark

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — a match
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mark — a grade
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. field — for sport
  16. march — music
  17. field — a subject
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. march — the month
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. march — the month
  23. bear — the animal
  24. field — farmland

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