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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. tear — to rip
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. tear — from crying
  7. root — of a word
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spring — a coil
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rash — a series
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. root — the cause
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. spring — of water
  18. land — ground
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. spring — the season
  21. content — happy
  22. tear — from crying
  23. land — to come down
  24. fan — to cool the air

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