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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. staff — employees
  3. land — a country
  4. mark — a grade
  5. object — to protest
  6. lean — to bend
  7. object — an aim
  8. lean — thin
  9. land — ground
  10. mark — a trace
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. shower — rain
  14. staff — employees
  15. row — a line
  16. shower — to wash
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stand — to bear
  19. staff — a stick
  20. row — to paddle
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. land — to come down

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