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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bear — the animal
  7. root — the cause
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. lean — thin
  11. root — of a plant
  12. firm — decided
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rule — a law
  15. lean — to bend
  16. firm — steady
  17. season — of the year
  18. bear — the animal
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rule — government
  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