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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. object — a thing
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. root — the cause
  7. rash — hasty
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. object — an aim
  12. season — in sport
  13. root — of a word
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. land — a country
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. season — of the year
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. object — to protest
  23. rash — a series
  24. wound — an injury

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