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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's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. land — a country
  3. wound — an injury
  4. march — music
  5. mate — to breed
  6. saw — the tool
  7. object — a thing
  8. land — ground
  9. mate — a friend
  10. field — farmland
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. object — an aim
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. field — for sport
  16. march — the month
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. march — the month
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. field — a subject
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. object — to protest
  23. land — to come down
  24. mate — a partner

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