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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. land — a country
  5. last — final
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. last — finally
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. land — ground
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. last — to go on

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