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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. track — a path
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. land — a country
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. face — to confront
  21. prune — to trim
  22. track — a song
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. track — to keep track

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