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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cap — a lid
  9. root — of a word
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cue — a hint
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cue — a signal
  19. root — the cause
  20. game — a match
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. root — of a plant
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mine — for digging

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