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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. board — a committee
  5. object — an aim
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. board — to get on
  11. root — the cause
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. root — of a word
  19. object — a thing
  20. wound — an injury
  21. object — to protest
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wind — moving air

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