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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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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: fan · roll · wake · hand · field · cap · arm · root

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wake — a trail
  4. roll — a cake
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. root — of a word
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. field — for sport
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. root — the cause
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. roll — a list
  21. hand — help
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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