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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: saw · fan · deal · hand · shower · tube · foot · root

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. deal — to handle
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. hand — help
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. root — of a word
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. tube — a container
  24. fan — a supporter

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