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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. club — for golf
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pop — to visit
  5. root — of a word
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. land — ground
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. club — a group
  10. firm — a company
  11. land — to come down
  12. pop — music
  13. club — for dancing
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. season — of the year
  17. root — of a plant
  18. firm — steady
  19. land — a country
  20. season — in sport
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. firm — decided
  23. root — the cause
  24. calf — a young animal

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