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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bank — for money
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bank — of a river
  7. root — the cause
  8. bank — for money
  9. root — of a plant
  10. land — a country
  11. march — the month
  12. land — to come down
  13. game — a match
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. game — wild animals
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. march — music
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. land — ground
  23. net — for catching
  24. game — a kind of play

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