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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. season — of the year
  4. field — for sport
  5. land — a country
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. chip — for betting
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. root — the cause
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. tear — from crying
  17. field — farmland
  18. season — in sport
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. field — a subject
  24. chip — to eat

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