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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. land — a country
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fork — in a road
  8. land — ground
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. land — to come down
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bark — to shout
  24. ground — a position

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