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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. spring — a coil
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. clip — for paper
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wind — moving air
  12. land — a country
  13. wind — moving air
  14. clip — a video
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. spring — of water
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. spring — the season
  22. clip — to cut
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. hide — to keep secret

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