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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 116 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 the members were all out of tune.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. prune — to trim
  4. key — for a lock
  5. root — of a plant
  6. scale — in music
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bore — to drill
  9. root — of a word
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bore — to tire
  12. land — to come down
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rest — a break
  16. scale — size or range
  17. land — a country
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. rest — what's left
  20. root — the cause
  21. prune — to trim
  22. key — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. land — ground

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