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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mine — for digging
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stem — to come from
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. spring — the season

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