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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. field — farmland
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. land — to come down
  5. staff — employees
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. staff — employees
  8. field — for sport
  9. staff — a stick
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. field — a subject
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bark — to shout
  16. branch — a division
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. can — a tin
  20. land — ground
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lean — thin
  24. wind — to turn a key

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