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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. hand — in cards
  3. race — a contest
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. clip — a video
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. race — the arms race
  9. tube — the underground
  10. land — a country
  11. tube — a container
  12. race — humankind
  13. hand — help
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. craft — boats
  17. land — ground
  18. craft — a skill
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. land — to come down
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. hand — part of the body

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