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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: rash · trunk · wake · charge · fan · face · content · root

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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. root — of a plant
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. content — happy
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. charge — a price
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. face — part of the head
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rash — hasty
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. content — the amount
  17. charge — in control
  18. face — to confront
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. root — of a word
  21. wake — a trail
  22. face — to point toward
  23. root — the cause
  24. rash — a series

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