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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 124 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pop — to visit
  4. spring — of water
  5. can — a tin
  6. spring — the season
  7. can — to be able to
  8. staff — employees
  9. present — the time now
  10. land — to come down
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pop — soda
  15. land — ground
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. can — a tin
  19. staff — a stick
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — there
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pop — music
  24. staff — employees

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