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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. saw — the tool
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. dip — to sink
  7. present — there
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. land — a country
  13. pound — a weight
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. present — the time now
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. land — to come down
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. present — a gift
  21. land — ground
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mine — an explosive

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