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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bore — to tire
  6. face — to confront
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wound — an injury
  12. land — ground
  13. field — farmland
  14. face — to point toward
  15. field — for sport
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. field — a subject
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. tube — a container
  24. face — part of the head

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