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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lean — to bend
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. bear — the animal
  15. band — a music group
  16. land — ground
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — thin
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bear — to put up with

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