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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pitch — completely
  3. land — a country
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. root — of a plant
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. can — a tin
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. root — the cause
  17. can — a tin
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wound — an injury
  23. root — of a word
  24. chip — for betting

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