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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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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: fan · leaves · root · date · suit · clip · cell · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. suit — in cards
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. clip — a video
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cell — a phone
  13. clip — for paper
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. club — for golf
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. root — the cause
  19. date — the fruit
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. clip — to cut
  22. root — of a plant
  23. club — a group
  24. root — of a word

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