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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. land — to come down
  3. wind — moving air
  4. charge — a price
  5. land — a country
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. land — ground
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mark — a grade
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. charge — in control
  12. mark — a trace
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. root — of a word
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. root — the cause

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