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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · can · bear · fan · root · capital · field · jam

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. chest — a box
  6. bear — the animal
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. can — a tin
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bear — the animal
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. can — to be able to
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — a subject
  24. bear — to put up with

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