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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. land — to come down
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bark — to shout
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. land — ground
  19. mug — a face
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mine — for digging
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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