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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 124 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. root — of a plant
  3. band — a music group
  4. content — the amount
  5. band — a ring
  6. rest — what's left
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rest — a break
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. file — a line of people
  13. root — of a word
  14. rest — what's left
  15. tube — a container
  16. file — a tool
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. content — happy
  22. file — a document
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. root — the cause

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