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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bound — obliged
  6. capital — money
  7. root — the cause
  8. ground — crushed
  9. land — a country
  10. root — of a word
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. shower — to wash
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. bound — certain
  17. shower — rain
  18. plane — a tool
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. bound — tied together
  24. nail — for a hammer

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