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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. root — of a word
  3. fall — the season
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. drill — a practice
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. drill — army training
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fall — to drop
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. root — the cause
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bark — of a tree

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