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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. fine — high quality
  3. root — of a plant
  4. field — farmland
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. swing — music
  12. field — a subject
  13. root — the cause
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. swing — to play on
  18. field — for sport
  19. branch — a division
  20. bound — tied together
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fine — all right
  23. root — of a word
  24. land — to come down

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