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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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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: bore · root · present · cell · land · ground · kid · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ground — a position
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. present — the time now
  7. bore — to drill
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cell — a phone
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. kid — child
  13. cell — in biology
  14. present — a gift
  15. bore — to tire
  16. ground — crushed
  17. land — to come down
  18. present — there
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. ground — the earth
  22. land — a country
  23. kid — to tease
  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