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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rock — a stone
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spring — the season
  6. land — ground
  7. spring — a coil
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. rock — music
  11. fork — in a road
  12. suit — to fit
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. saw — the tool
  16. scale — size or range
  17. land — to come down
  18. scale — in music
  19. spring — of water
  20. dip — to sink
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. suit — in cards
  24. suit — clothes

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