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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pass — a permit
  3. land — a country
  4. root — of a word
  5. spring — of water
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spring — the season
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. saw — the tool
  12. root — the cause
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. land — ground
  16. root — of a plant
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. field — a subject
  20. spring — a coil
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. land — to come down
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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