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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.

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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. root — of a word
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. squash — to crush
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rush — hurry
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. land — to come down
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. root — the cause

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