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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. root — of a plant
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rock — music
  9. game — a match
  10. root — of a word
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cue — a signal
  14. spring — the season
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. spring — of water
  17. root — the cause
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pit — a hole
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rock — a stone
  24. trunk — 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