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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. season — in sport
  5. key — for a lock
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. land — ground
  10. last — to go on
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bank — for money
  13. key — the most important part
  14. land — to come down
  15. key — in music
  16. last — finally
  17. season — of the year
  18. last — final
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. land — a country
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. leaves — to go away

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