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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 116 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. land — ground
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rule — government
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. land — to come down
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. field — farmland
  14. snap — to click
  15. field — a subject
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. land — a country
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. field — for sport
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. rule — a law
  24. wave — of the sea

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