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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. land — a country
  5. bear — the animal
  6. land — to come down
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. season — of the year
  13. land — ground
  14. bear — the animal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. tube — a container
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. season — in sport
  24. club — for dancing

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