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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. field — for sport
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bank — for money
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. land — a country
  9. ground — crushed
  10. deal — to handle
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. hand — help
  15. land — ground
  16. ground — the earth
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. ground — a position
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. land — to come down
  23. bank — for money
  24. deal — a big deal

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