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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. kick — in football
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. field — farmland
  6. present — a gift
  7. lean — thin
  8. drill — the tool
  9. field — a subject
  10. present — the time now
  11. field — for sport
  12. land — ground
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. land — to come down
  18. present — there
  19. mine — for digging
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bulb — for light
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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