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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. land — a country
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. scale — size or range
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bound — tied together
  9. scale — in music
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bound — certain
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pass — a permit
  17. land — ground
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. land — to come down
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. root — of a plant
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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