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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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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rash — a series
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. root — of a word
  7. land — to come down
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wound — an injury
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wound — an injury
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mine — for digging
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. branch — a division
  24. cell — a phone

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