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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. spring — of water
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — the season
  6. row — to paddle
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. shower — to wash
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. spring — a coil
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cue — a signal
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. shower — rain
  24. nail — for a hammer

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