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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bank — for money
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bank — for money
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cap — of ice
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cold — not warm
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cap — a lid

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