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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. land — a country
  4. pop — to visit
  5. land — ground
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. fall — to drop
  8. staff — employees
  9. branch — a division
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fall — the season
  13. ground — a position
  14. staff — employees
  15. net — after costs
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. land — to come down
  19. pop — soda
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pop — music
  22. net — in sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. net — for catching

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