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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. drill — a practice
  3. land — a country
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stock — goods
  9. lean — to bend
  10. roll — a cake
  11. drill — the tool
  12. stock — shares
  13. land — to come down
  14. bass — low music
  15. drill — army training
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. roll — a list
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lean — thin
  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