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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cold — an illness
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wax — to grow
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bulb — for light
  15. root — of a word
  16. track — a song
  17. root — the cause
  18. chip — to eat
  19. deal — to handle
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. track — a path
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. chip — in a computer

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