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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. land — to come down
  5. net — for catching
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. net — after costs
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rush — hurry
  20. net — in sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. tear — from crying
  24. leaves — lets stay

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