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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. net — in sport
  3. land — ground
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. net — after costs
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. net — for catching
  12. wind — moving air
  13. suit — clothes
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. suit — to fit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. land — a country
  23. pound — for dogs
  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