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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wake — a trail
  4. land — ground
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. land — a country
  7. band — a music group
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. band — a ring
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. land — to come down
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. plane — a tool
  16. mug — a face
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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