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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: last · shower · mine · land · rest · can · chip · root

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. root — the cause
  5. mine — for digging
  6. can — a tin
  7. shower — to wash
  8. can — a tin
  9. rest — a break
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. last — finally
  14. rest — what's left
  15. root — of a word
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. last — to go on
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. last — final
  20. root — of a plant
  21. shower — rain
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rest — what's left
  24. can — to be able to

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