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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rush — hurry
  3. land — a country
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. net — after costs
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bank — of a river
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bank — for money
  11. game — a match
  12. fall — the season
  13. land — ground
  14. bank — for money
  15. net — in sport
  16. fall — to drop
  17. net — for catching
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fan — a supporter

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