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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bear — the animal
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. root — of a word
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. kick — in football
  11. row — a line
  12. root — of a plant
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. stem — to come from
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. root — the cause
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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