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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. spring — a coil
  3. kick — in football
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. staff — employees
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. land — to come down
  10. spring — of water
  11. craft — a skill
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. root — of a word
  14. roll — a list
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. staff — employees
  18. date — the fruit
  19. roll — a cake
  20. staff — a stick
  21. spring — the season
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. root — the cause
  24. roll — on a roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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