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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. key — in music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ground — a position
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. march — music
  10. ground — the earth
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. ground — crushed
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. march — the month
  17. season — in sport
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wake — a trail
  20. march — the month
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. root — of a word
  24. prune — to trim

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