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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bound — tied together
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. object — an aim
  6. cold — not warm
  7. object — to protest
  8. bound — obliged
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. key — for a lock
  12. land — ground
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cold — an illness
  15. land — to come down
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. branch — a division
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wound — an injury
  21. key — in music
  22. object — a thing
  23. bound — certain
  24. wound — an injury

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