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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. charge — electricity
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. root — of a word
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — a list
  11. clip — a video
  12. field — a subject
  13. clip — for paper
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. field — for sport
  16. charge — a price
  17. field — farmland
  18. root — the cause
  19. foot — a measure
  20. clip — to cut
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. charge — in control
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. foot — part of the body

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