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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 · straw · bulb · capital · root · firm · game · drill

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. capital — money
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. firm — decided
  7. drill — army training
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. drill — a practice
  11. root — of a word
  12. drill — the tool
  13. game — a match
  14. capital — a city
  15. bulb — for light
  16. game — wild animals
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — steady
  21. bulb — for light
  22. root — the cause
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. capital — a big letter

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