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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: file · fall · march · mate · wake · mine · root · fan

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. root — of a word
  5. march — music
  6. mate — a friend
  7. file — a document
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. root — of a plant
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fall — to drop
  13. file — a line of people
  14. fall — the season
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. file — a tool
  22. mate — to breed
  23. march — the month
  24. fan — to cool the air

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