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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 120 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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. land — a country
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. land — to come down
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. mine — for digging
  8. root — the cause
  9. land — ground
  10. root — of a plant
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. can — to be able to
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stem — to come from
  19. can — a tin
  20. root — of a word
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. can — a tin
  24. ruler — for measuring

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