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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 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. land — ground
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fork — in a road
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cue — a hint
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. land — to come down
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pound — a weight
  19. cue — for pool
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. cue — a signal
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wind — moving air

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