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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. land — ground
  6. root — the cause
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. land — to come down
  12. content — happy
  13. season — of the year
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. land — a country
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. season — in sport
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rush — hurry
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. root — of a word

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