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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. land — ground
  4. bore — to tire
  5. stem — to come from
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. season — of the year
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bore — to drill
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. root — of a plant
  15. roll — a list
  16. root — the cause
  17. season — in sport
  18. roll — a cake
  19. object — a thing
  20. land — to come down
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  24. root — of a word

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