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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bass — low music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. spell — magic
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bear — the animal
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. land — to come down
  21. bass — the fish
  22. land — ground
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. branch — a division

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