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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. land — a country
  6. stand — to bear
  7. root — the cause
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. root — of a plant
  10. land — to come down
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stem — to come from
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. root — of a word
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. chair — a professorship

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