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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 · fork · kick · root · mate · pop · rash · deal

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mate — to breed
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. root — of a plant
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. root — of a word
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pop — soda
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pop — music
  17. mate — a friend
  18. deal — to handle
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. root — the cause
  23. rash — a series
  24. kick — in football

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