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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fall — the season
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fall — to drop
  7. current — happening now
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wake — a trail
  12. staff — employees
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. land — ground
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. capital — a city
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fall — to drop

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