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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. land — a country
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rock — music
  11. land — to come down
  12. degree — from a university
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. land — ground
  19. mine — for digging
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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