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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. board — to get on
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. root — of a plant
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. land — to come down
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rock — a stone
  13. board — a committee
  14. root — of a word
  15. rock — music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. root — the cause
  18. land — ground
  19. wound — an injury
  20. land — a country
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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