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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: root · arm · fan · snap · perch · cap · trunk · shower

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. root — the cause
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. shower — rain
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. shower — to wash
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. perch — the fish
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. perch — for a bird

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