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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. branch — a division
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. field — a subject
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. land — ground
  11. stock — goods
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. field — farmland
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. land — to come down
  16. field — for sport
  17. rush — hurry
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. stock — shares
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. calf — of the leg

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