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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. root — of a plant
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. land — a country
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. suit — to fit
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. land — to come down
  24. suit — clothes

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