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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bank — of a river
  4. land — ground
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. row — to paddle
  9. track — a song
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. root — of a word
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pit — in a race
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. land — a country
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bank — for money
  21. track — a path
  22. bank — for money
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. land — to come down

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