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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  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. land — a country
  2. chest — a box
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tube — the underground
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. object — an aim
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wake — a trail
  14. craft — boats
  15. tube — a container
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. chest — of your body
  18. dip — to sink
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chest — of your body
  21. land — to come down
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. craft — a handicraft
  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