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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. root — the cause
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. field — a subject
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. field — for sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. field — farmland
  13. capital — money
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. root — of a word
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cap — a lid
  19. capital — a city
  20. root — of a plant
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cap — a hat

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