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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. root — of a word
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. charge — a price
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bark — to shout
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. charge — electricity
  12. saw — the tool
  13. charge — in control
  14. root — of a plant
  15. march — music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. content — happy
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. content — the amount
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. root — the cause
  24. lie — an untruth

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