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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. land — to come down
  3. mug — a cup
  4. land — a country
  5. spring — the season
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. charge — in control
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. field — a subject
  12. charge — electricity
  13. field — farmland
  14. land — ground
  15. wake — a trail
  16. charge — a price
  17. spring — a coil
  18. field — for sport
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. last — final
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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