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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bore — to tire
  6. field — a subject
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. file — a document
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bore — to drill
  15. field — for sport
  16. tear — from crying
  17. root — of a word
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. root — the cause
  20. file — a tool
  21. tear — from crying
  22. field — farmland
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. land — ground

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