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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 116 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: pop · root · patient · season · lash · file · fan · net

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. net — for catching
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pop — music
  5. season — in sport
  6. file — a document
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. file — a tool
  11. season — of the year
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. root — of a plant
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pop — soda
  17. net — in sport
  18. file — a line of people
  19. net — after costs
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pop — to visit
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lash — to lash out

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