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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spring — of water
  4. object — a thing
  5. land — a country
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. field — farmland
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. object — to protest
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. land — ground
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. land — to come down
  18. object — an aim
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. spring — the season
  22. bass — low music
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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