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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cell — in biology
  6. root — of a word
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. branch — a division
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. land — to come down
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pound — a weight
  17. root — the cause
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. land — ground
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cell — a phone
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. scale — size or range

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