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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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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 · arm · snap · temple · rule · kick · root · shower

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. root — of a plant
  3. kick — in football
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. shower — rain
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rule — government
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. snap — to click
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. root — the cause
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. shower — to wash
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. root — of a word
  24. arm — a part of something

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