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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.

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: fan · kid · firm · bat · mine · press · object · root

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. firm — a company
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. object — a thing
  7. firm — decided
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. firm — steady
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. root — of a word
  18. press — a publisher
  19. kid — child
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. root — of a plant
  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