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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · wave · hand · lie · fan · mouse · march · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. march — the month
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — help
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. march — music
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bear — the animal
  23. march — the month
  24. wave — with your hand

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