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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. current — happening now
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pound — a weight
  5. wind — moving air
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. capital — a city
  9. bear — the animal
  10. land — to come down
  11. bear — the animal
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. capital — money
  16. land — ground
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. prune — to trim
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wind — moving air

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