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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. land — ground
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mug — a face
  8. kid — child
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pop — soda
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. root — the cause
  16. face — to confront
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bank — for money
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wind — moving air
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pop — music

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