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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 · mine · scale · shower · root · clip · press · straw

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. scale — in music
  4. root — of a plant
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. root — the cause
  7. clip — a video
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. shower — rain
  13. scale — size or range
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. clip — to cut
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. press — a publisher
  19. shower — to wash
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. press — to push
  24. root — of a word

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