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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wind — moving air
  6. root — of a word
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. capital — a city
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. capital — money
  15. wind — moving air
  16. root — the cause
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. root — of a plant

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