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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. lean — to bend
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. clip — a video
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. root — the cause
  9. clip — to cut
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. band — a ring
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. lean — thin
  16. band — a music group
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cell — in biology
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. root — of a word
  23. cell — a phone
  24. band — a rubber band

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