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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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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rest — what's left
  7. root — of a plant
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. root — of a word
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cue — a hint
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rest — a break
  20. cue — a signal
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. root — the cause

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