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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. club — a group
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cold — an illness
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. land — to come down
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rest — what's left
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. rest — what's left
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rest — a break
  22. land — ground
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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