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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. land — ground
  5. game — wild animals
  6. spring — of water
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. game — a match
  10. land — to come down
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spring — the season
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cue — a hint
  20. spring — a coil
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bark — to shout

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