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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. root — of a plant
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. root — of a word
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mark — a trace
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. root — the cause
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cold — an illness

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