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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rule — a law
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pound — a weight
  13. cap — a lid
  14. band — a music group
  15. foot — a measure
  16. root — the cause
  17. rule — government
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cap — of ice
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bore — to tire

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