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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: stand · mug · date · net · scale · land · root · bore

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  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. land — a country
  2. bore — to tire
  3. root — of a word
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. net — after costs
  6. root — the cause
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. net — for catching
  10. land — to come down
  11. root — of a plant
  12. land — ground
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. net — in sport
  16. scale — size or range
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mug — to rob
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bore — to drill
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  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