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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. land — a country
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wind — moving air
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pop — soda
  10. land — ground
  11. wind — moving air
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. root — of a plant
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. root — of a word
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. land — to come down
  20. root — the cause
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. safe — out of danger

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