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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · fan · march · roll · straw · bulb · chair · root

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bulb — for light
  3. root — the cause
  4. roll — a list
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bulb — for light
  11. march — the month
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. root — of a word
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. march — the month
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chair — a leader
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. march — music
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. root — of a plant
  24. chair — to sit on

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