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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: date · pound · deal · straw · cabinet · content · fan · root

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. content — the amount
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. content — happy
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pound — a weight
  13. date — the fruit
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. root — the cause
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. deal — to handle

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