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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 124 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spring — the season
  3. object — to protest
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. land — a country
  8. object — an aim
  9. wake — a trail
  10. land — ground
  11. date — the fruit
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spring — of water
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. land — to come down
  24. object — a thing

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