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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. ball — a great time
  5. toast — bread
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. root — of a plant
  8. fine — high quality
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. spring — a coil
  11. land — a country
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spring — the season
  14. land — ground
  15. spring — of water
  16. prune — to trim
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ball — a dance
  19. root — the cause
  20. saw — the tool
  21. land — to come down
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. ball — a round shape

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