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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. root — of a plant
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. club — for dancing
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rest — what's left
  9. prune — to trim
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. club — for golf
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rest — what's left
  17. club — a group
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rest — a break
  20. kick — in football
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. prune — the fruit

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