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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. land — to come down
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bound — tied together
  5. court — for sport
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. root — the cause
  10. mark — a grade
  11. land — a country
  12. court — of law
  13. root — of a word
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. spring — of water
  19. bound — obliged
  20. spring — the season
  21. land — ground
  22. court — of a king
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bound — certain

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