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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. land — to come down
  2. season — of the year
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. land — a country
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. season — in sport
  10. land — ground
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. root — of a word
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mark — a trace
  21. root — the cause
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mouse — the animal
  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