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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. court — of law
  9. land — to come down
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. land — ground
  15. bear — the animal
  16. land — a country
  17. court — of a king
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. rash — a series
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. root — the cause
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fan — to cool the air

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