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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. craft — boats
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pound — a weight
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. last — to go on
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. last — finally
  10. land — to come down
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. land — a country
  13. bulb — for light
  14. last — final
  15. board — a committee
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. craft — a skill
  20. board — to get on
  21. bulb — for light
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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