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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bank — for money
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cold — not warm
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bank — of a river
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. saw — the tool
  16. land — to come down
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. saw — the tool
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — clothes
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bank — for money
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. land — ground

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