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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 need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cap — a lid
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. land — a country
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. root — of a word
  10. bore — to drill
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. toast — bread
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. root — of a plant
  19. land — to come down
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. land — ground
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. file — a document

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