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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: march · land · fan · bear · squash · cell · bass · mug

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mug — to rob
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cell — in biology
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. land — to come down
  9. bass — low music
  10. mug — a face
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mug — a cup
  13. land — a country
  14. march — music
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. march — the month
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. march — the month
  23. land — ground
  24. bass — the instrument

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