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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bulb — for light
  8. root — the cause
  9. key — in music
  10. spell — a short time
  11. track — a path
  12. root — of a plant
  13. press — newspapers
  14. track — a song
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. track — to keep track
  18. key — the most important part
  19. spell — magic
  20. root — of a word
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. spell — letters

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