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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. land — to come down
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. land — ground
  12. rash — a series
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. ball — a dance
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pound — a weight
  19. ball — a great time
  20. band — a music group
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. band — a ring
  23. stock — goods
  24. leaves — to go away

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