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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. ground — crushed
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. root — of a plant
  5. band — a music group
  6. rush — hurry
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. current — electric
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ground — the earth
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. root — the cause
  14. current — of water
  15. saw — the tool
  16. band — a ring
  17. ground — a position
  18. root — of a word
  19. land — to come down
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. current — happening now
  22. saw — the tool
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. land — a country

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