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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. root — of a plant
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cap — of ice
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. root — of a word
  9. land — to come down
  10. cap — a lid
  11. ball — a dance
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cap — a hat
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. ball — a great time
  21. root — the cause
  22. stem — to come from
  23. land — a country
  24. stem — 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