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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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. wind — moving air
  4. lie — to recline
  5. tube — a container
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wind — moving air
  8. land — ground
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bank — for money
  12. rash — a series
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rash — hasty
  16. key — the most important part
  17. tube — the underground
  18. key — in music
  19. land — to come down
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bank — for money

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