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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 112 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · land · wind · rest · ball · bear

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. land — to come down
  6. rest — a break
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. land — a country
  18. ball — a great time

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