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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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. fan — a supporter
  4. branch — a division
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. row — to paddle
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wake — a trail
  13. land — to come down
  14. row — a line
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. staff — a stick
  21. land — ground
  22. sharp — clever
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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