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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. key — in music
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. root — of a plant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. key — for a lock
  21. root — the cause
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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