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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. ball — a great time
  3. land — a country
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. root — of a plant
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. root — of a word
  12. land — ground
  13. branch — a division
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fine — all right
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. land — to come down
  22. fine — high quality
  23. lash — to lash out
  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