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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. land — a country
  5. scale — size or range
  6. field — farmland
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. present — the time now
  9. field — a subject
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. land — to come down
  14. shower — rain
  15. scale — in music
  16. present — a gift
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. land — ground
  19. present — there
  20. field — for sport
  21. root — of a plant
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pound — a weight
  24. root — of a word

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