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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. land — ground
  6. fall — the season
  7. bark — to shout
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. land — to come down
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. can — a tin
  15. drill — army training
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wake — a trail
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wake — before a funeral

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