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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 120 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: sharp · fan · file · root · mate · arm · rash · mouse

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. root — of a plant
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mate — a friend
  6. file — a tool
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mate — to breed
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. file — a document
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. root — of a word
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rash — a series
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. root — the cause

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