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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. object — to protest
  3. pop — music
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. stem — to come from
  7. object — an aim
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. capital — a city
  18. land — to come down
  19. object — a thing
  20. root — of a word
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. root — the cause
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. capital — money

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