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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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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: leaves · land · bear · cell · scale · club · root · chip

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. land — ground
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bear — the animal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cell — in biology
  11. root — the cause
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cell — a phone
  14. land — a country
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. chip — to eat
  18. club — for dancing
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bear — the animal
  21. land — to come down
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. root — of a word
  24. scale — in 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