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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. object — a thing
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. object — to protest
  6. root — the cause
  7. craft — a skill
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. clip — a video
  11. march — the month
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. object — an aim
  14. craft — boats
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. root — of a word
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. root — of a plant

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