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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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468
Word bank
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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mine — for digging
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. root — of a word
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. root — the cause
  9. present — the time now
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mark — a trace
  13. present — there
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. present — a gift
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pass — a permit
  24. fan — a supporter

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