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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. march — the month
  3. rash — a series
  4. march — the month
  5. object — an aim
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spring — a coil
  8. march — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. spring — of water
  13. object — a thing
  14. spring — the season
  15. rash — hasty
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. root — the cause
  18. object — to protest
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. root — of a plant
  24. patient — a sick person

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