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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stem · fork · march · fan · squash · dip · lie · bear

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fork — in a road
  8. march — the month
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. stem — to come from
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bear — the animal
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fork — to eat with

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