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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bear — the animal
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. land — ground
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. branch — a division
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. capital — a city
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bear — the animal
  16. capital — money
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. land — to come down
  24. branch — of a tree

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