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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. lean — thin
  3. season — of the year
  4. lean — to bend
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. last — to go on
  10. land — ground
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. tube — the underground
  13. land — to come down
  14. season — in sport
  15. scale — in music
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bark — to shout
  20. last — final
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. last — finally
  23. tube — a container
  24. bark — of a tree

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