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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. land — a country
  3. field — for sport
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. field — a subject
  8. fine — all right
  9. root — the cause
  10. foot — a measure
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. root — of a word
  13. land — ground
  14. plane — a tool
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cell — in biology
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. land — to come down
  21. cell — a phone
  22. field — farmland
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. plane — an aircraft

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