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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. season — of the year
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fall — to drop
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cell — in biology
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. land — to come down
  10. fall — to drop
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. season — in sport
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fall — the season
  16. cell — a phone
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  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