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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. root — of a plant
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. root — of a word
  5. tube — the underground
  6. hand — in cards
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. row — to paddle
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ball — a dance
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. tube — a container
  15. lean — to bend
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. hand — help
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. root — the cause
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. ball — a great time

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