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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. root — the cause
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. present — a gift
  13. root — of a word
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. drill — the tool
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. present — the time now
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. root — of a plant
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. present — there
  22. deal — to handle
  23. drill — army training
  24. date — on the calendar

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