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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. deal — to handle
  5. can — a tin
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mine — for digging
  11. root — of a word
  12. land — a country
  13. can — a tin
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. land — ground
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. root — the cause
  22. shower — rain
  23. bat — the animal
  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