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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. plane — a tool
  6. land — a country
  7. board — to get on
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bulb — for light
  13. board — a committee
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. track — to keep track
  17. land — to come down
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bulb — for light
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. track — a path
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. track — a song

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