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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 124 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. current — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. craft — boats
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. shower — rain
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. branch — a division
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. land — to come down
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. land — ground
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. chair — a leader
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. current — happening now
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. current — electric
  24. shower — to wash

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