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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. field — farmland
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. field — for sport
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stock — shares
  15. land — to come down
  16. field — a subject
  17. stock — goods
  18. fall — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. land — ground
  24. pitcher — a jug

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