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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. key — in music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fall — to drop
  6. branch — a division
  7. hand — in cards
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. hand — help
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. key — the most important part
  12. march — the month
  13. fall — the season
  14. wake — a trail
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. land — ground
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. fall — to drop
  20. march — the month
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. march — music
  24. wave — of the sea

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