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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. land — to come down
  3. wind — moving air
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stock — goods
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. land — ground
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bark — to shout
  19. press — to push
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stock — shares
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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