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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. root — of a word
  3. chip — to eat
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. spring — a coil
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. spring — of water
  10. bear — the animal
  11. chip — for betting
  12. root — of a plant
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. root — the cause
  16. sharp — clever
  17. plane — a tool
  18. spring — the season
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mine — belonging to me

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