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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wax — to grow
  7. drill — army training
  8. root — of a plant
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. perch — the fish
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. field — a subject
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. field — for sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. root — the cause
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. root — of a word
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. mine — for digging
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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