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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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. staff — a stick
  3. land — a country
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. land — to come down
  6. sharp — clever
  7. land — ground
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mark — a grade
  10. spring — a coil
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. staff — employees
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. can — a tin
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — a trace
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spring — the season
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. staff — employees
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. spring — of water

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