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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bank — for money
  3. season — in sport
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. root — of a word
  8. land — to come down
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. root — the cause
  11. season — of the year
  12. bank — for money
  13. land — a country
  14. spring — of water
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pitch — completely
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. fork — in a road
  20. spring — the season
  21. root — of a plant
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bank — of a river
  24. spring — a coil

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