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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fine — high quality
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. capital — a city
  5. branch — a division
  6. land — a country
  7. root — the cause
  8. pop — soda
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. capital — money
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. land — to come down
  18. pop — to visit
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pop — music
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. root — of a word
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fine — all right

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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