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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: rash · hand · rest · bore · fan · root · bear · game

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. rest — a break
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — a series
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. root — of a word
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bore — to tire
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. game — a match
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. root — the cause

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