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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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. lash — an eyelash
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — of a plant
  6. clip — a video
  7. club — a group
  8. land — ground
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cold — not warm
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. club — for golf
  17. root — the cause
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. land — to come down
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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