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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. land — to come down
  3. object — to protest
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. object — a thing
  9. kid — to tease
  10. root — of a word
  11. bear — the animal
  12. root — of a plant
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. root — the cause
  18. land — ground
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. kid — child
  21. land — a country
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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