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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. land — to come down
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wake — a trail
  23. root — of a plant
  24. wake — before a funeral

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