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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.

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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. board — to get on
  3. root — the cause
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. root — of a word
  6. board — a committee
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mine — for digging
  14. land — to come down
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wake — a trail
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. land — ground
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. tube — a container
  24. root — of a plant

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