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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. row — a line
  4. lean — thin
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. row — to paddle
  11. stand — to bear
  12. root — the cause
  13. charge — a price
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. key — in music
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lean — to bend
  18. key — the most important part
  19. charge — in control
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. root — of a word
  22. key — for a lock
  23. root — of a plant
  24. stand — for spectators

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