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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. land — to come down
  8. spring — the season
  9. rush — hurry
  10. spring — a coil
  11. game — wild animals
  12. spring — of water
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. game — a match
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bank — for money
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bank — for money
  22. prune — to trim
  23. land — ground
  24. racket — for tennis

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