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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bear — the animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. track — a path
  6. land — to come down
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wind — moving air
  9. track — to keep track
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pop — soda
  18. bear — the animal
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. track — a song
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. staff — employees
  24. plane — an aircraft

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