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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 116 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. saw — the tool
  4. root — of a plant
  5. spring — of water
  6. hand — in cards
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. root — the cause
  11. hand — help
  12. spring — the season
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chair — a leader
  15. shower — to wash
  16. root — of a word
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. spring — a coil
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fan — a supporter

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