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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bound — tied together
  3. land — ground
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bound — certain
  6. land — to come down
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. last — final
  11. root — the cause
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. root — of a plant
  22. land — a country
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cold — the Cold War

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