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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. root — the cause
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. land — a country
  5. bear — the animal
  6. land — to come down
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bass — the fish
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. chest — a box
  21. land — ground
  22. root — of a word
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kick — in football

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