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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. wound — an injury
  7. press — to push
  8. hand — help
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bulb — for light
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stand — to bear
  16. press — newspapers
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. press — a publisher
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. safe — out of danger

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