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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. can — a tin
  3. mate — a partner
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mate — to breed
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. land — ground
  10. mate — a friend
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. root — the cause
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. can — to be able to
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. root — of a word
  18. staff — employees
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. can — a tin
  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