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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. object — an aim
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. season — of the year
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bank — for money
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. land — to come down
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — a thing
  16. bank — of a river
  17. object — to protest
  18. bank — for money
  19. perch — the fish
  20. branch — a division
  21. season — in sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. land — ground

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