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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 120 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. root — the cause
  5. squash — to crush
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. fine — high quality
  9. foot — a measure
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. deal — to handle
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bark — to shout
  18. root — of a plant
  19. current — of water
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. root — of a word
  23. fine — all right
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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