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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. land — to come down
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. land — ground
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. rest — a break
  10. land — a country
  11. bound — obliged
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. plane — a tool
  20. chip — for betting
  21. capital — a city
  22. chip — to eat
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. rest — what's left

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