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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bound — certain
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. face — to point toward
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. shower — rain
  9. root — the cause
  10. face — part of the head
  11. root — of a plant
  12. face — to confront
  13. land — to come down
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mug — a face
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. root — of a word
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mug — to rob
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bound — obliged
  24. perch — the fish

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