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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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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. can — to be able to
  3. root — the cause
  4. ball — a great time
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. scale — in music
  8. root — of a plant
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. root — of a word
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stem — to come from
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. drill — the tool
  24. can — a tin

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