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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bank — for money
  6. swing — in golf
  7. root — of a plant
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. root — the cause
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. saw — the tool
  17. root — of a word
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. swing — to play on
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. swing — music

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