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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. tube — a container
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cell — a phone
  8. last — to go on
  9. firm — decided
  10. last — finally
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. last — final
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. lean — thin
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cell — in biology
  21. firm — a company
  22. mine — for digging
  23. land — ground
  24. firm — steady

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