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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. lean — to bend
  3. land — ground
  4. ground — crushed
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — of a king
  10. prune — to trim
  11. charge — in control
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. ground — a position
  16. charge — a price
  17. ground — the earth
  18. court — of law
  19. charge — electricity
  20. land — to come down
  21. court — for sport
  22. lean — thin
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wave — of the sea

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