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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. staff — a stick
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. field — a subject
  5. land — a country
  6. field — farmland
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — music
  9. lean — to bend
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bore — to tire
  12. lean — thin
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. staff — employees
  15. land — to come down
  16. chip — for betting
  17. field — for sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bore — to drill
  21. rock — a stone
  22. chip — to eat
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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