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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. spring — of water
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. spring — a coil
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bound — tied together
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bound — certain
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. land — to come down
  16. bound — obliged
  17. branch — a division
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wake — a trail
  22. land — ground
  23. staff — employees
  24. spring — the season

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