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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 120 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: dip · prune · fan · cap · root · lean · rule · bat

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rule — government
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cap — a lid
  6. dip — to sink
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. lean — thin
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cap — of ice
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rule — a law
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. prune — to trim

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