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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: ground · land · pit · bore · board · root · bear · arm

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ground — a position
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pit — in a race
  7. board — to get on
  8. land — a country
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bear — the animal
  11. board — a committee
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bear — the animal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. land — to come down
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. land — ground
  24. bore — to drill

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