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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. pound — a weight
  4. fall — the season
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. charge — a price
  7. bank — for money
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. land — to come down
  10. charge — electricity
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. pop — to visit
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pop — soda
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. charge — in control
  22. fall — to drop
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pop — music

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