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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. root — the cause
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rash — a series
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bank — for money
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. root — of a word
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. bank — of a river
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bat — the animal
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bank — for money

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