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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. foot — a measure
  3. land — to come down
  4. branch — a division
  5. fall — to drop
  6. field — for sport
  7. object — to protest
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. fall — the season
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. object — a thing
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. field — a subject
  19. object — an aim
  20. field — farmland
  21. pass — a permit
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. land — ground
  24. fall — to drop

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