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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mark — a trace
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. land — ground
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spring — the season
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spring — of water
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. spring — a coil
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. land — to come down
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. saw — the tool

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