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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. foot — a measure
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. spring — the season
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. land — ground
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. race — the arms race
  12. spring — a coil
  13. branch — a division
  14. bound — tied together
  15. land — to come down
  16. bound — certain
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. season — of the year
  21. race — humankind
  22. bound — obliged
  23. race — a contest
  24. spring — of water

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