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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. land — ground
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — to rob
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. land — a country
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mug — a cup
  11. land — to come down
  12. bank — of a river
  13. row — a line
  14. bank — for money
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. file — a document
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. plane — a tool
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. row — to paddle
  24. leaves — of a tree

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