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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. root — of a plant
  3. field — a subject
  4. mark — a trace
  5. field — farmland
  6. current — of water
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. root — the cause
  9. object — a thing
  10. wake — a trail
  11. object — an aim
  12. root — of a word
  13. mark — a grade
  14. object — to protest
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. current — happening now
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. field — for sport
  23. current — electric
  24. land — a country

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