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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. root — of a word
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bulb — for light
  7. root — of a plant
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hand — help
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. hand — in cards
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. drill — army training
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. root — the cause
  23. rash — a series
  24. bulb — of a plant

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