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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. ball — a great time
  5. saw — the tool
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. staff — a stick
  8. root — the cause
  9. cell — in biology
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cell — a phone
  12. land — ground
  13. staff — employees
  14. root — of a plant
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. land — to come down
  19. root — of a word
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. staff — employees
  24. ball — a round shape

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