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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bound — tied together
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pop — music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — soda
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. fall — the season
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. land — ground
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. land — to come down

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