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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · tear · chip · mine · land · club · root · last

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. club — for dancing
  3. land — a country
  4. squash — the sport
  5. tear — to rip
  6. squash — to crush
  7. land — to come down
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. club — a group
  11. chip — for betting
  12. root — the cause
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chip — to eat
  15. mine — for digging
  16. tear — from crying
  17. club — for golf
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. root — of a word
  23. last — to go on
  24. land — ground

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