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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. board — a committee
  6. band — a music group
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. board — to get on
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. spring — the season
  12. wake — a trail
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fork — in a road
  22. band — a ring
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. spring — of water

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