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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. can — to be able to
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. field — a subject
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. root — of a word
  8. land — a country
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. field — farmland
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. root — the cause
  18. can — a tin
  19. root — of a plant
  20. field — for sport
  21. can — a tin
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. foot — a measure

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