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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. row — a line
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. staff — a stick
  5. chest — a box
  6. current — of water
  7. row — to paddle
  8. root — of a word
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chest — of your body
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — happening now
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. chest — of your body
  22. root — the cause
  23. current — electric
  24. nail — on a finger

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