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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. root — the cause
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. land — a country
  5. tube — a container
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rush — hurry
  8. root — of a plant
  9. land — to come down
  10. game — a match
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. root — of a word
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wave — of the sea

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