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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. root — of a word
  3. face — to point toward
  4. root — the cause
  5. ground — a position
  6. land — a country
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. root — of a plant
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. land — ground
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. land — to come down
  20. face — to confront
  21. bear — the animal
  22. face — part of the head
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. ground — the earth

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