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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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468
Word bank
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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lean — thin
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. dip — to sink
  12. root — the cause
  13. perch — the fish
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. root — of a plant
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rest — a break
  21. root — of a word
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lean — to bend
  24. dip — a sauce

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