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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. charge — electricity
  4. root — of a plant
  5. land — a country
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cap — a hat
  10. root — the cause
  11. land — ground
  12. cap — of ice
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. shower — to wash
  18. charge — a price
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. charge — in control
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cap — a lid
  24. land — to come down

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