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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.

Make a worksheet

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: lean · rule · root · mine · wound · fan · rash · straw

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rule — a law
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rash — a series
  17. root — the cause
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. lean — to bend
  23. root — of a word
  24. rule — government

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