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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. club — for golf
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mine — for digging
  10. foot — a measure
  11. land — ground
  12. mark — a trace
  13. land — to come down
  14. shower — rain
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. branch — a division
  20. mark — a grade
  21. club — for dancing
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. shower — to wash
  24. club — a group

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