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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. ground — a position
  6. lean — thin
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — of a plant
  9. march — music
  10. bat — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. land — ground
  16. ground — the earth
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lean — to bend
  24. root — the cause

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