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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bound — certain
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wind — moving air
  6. root — the cause
  7. land — ground
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bore — to drill
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bound — tied together
  15. root — of a word
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bulb — for light
  19. land — to come down
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fork — to eat with

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