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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. land — a country
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wake — a trail
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. drill — army training
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. land — to come down
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. patient — a sick person

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