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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. tear — from crying
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bank — for money
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mine — for digging
  15. object — to protest
  16. tear — to rip
  17. land — ground
  18. squash — to crush
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bank — for money
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bay — a horse colour

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