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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. ground — crushed
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. drill — a practice
  5. land — to come down
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. root — of a word
  8. kid — child
  9. drill — army training
  10. ground — a position
  11. land — a country
  12. kid — to tease
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lean — to bend
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. root — of a plant
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. land — ground
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. drill — the tool
  23. lean — thin
  24. ground — the earth

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