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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. land — ground
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. season — of the year
  8. ground — the earth
  9. season — in sport
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — to come down
  12. club — for golf
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bear — the animal
  15. root — of a word
  16. press — to push
  17. root — the cause
  18. club — a group
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ground — a position
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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