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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 124 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pass — a permit
  3. root — the cause
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. root — of a word
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. sharp — clever
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. root — of a plant

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