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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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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: ball · wave · cabinet · net · present · land · fall · saw

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. net — for catching
  9. fall — to drop
  10. net — in sport
  11. present — there
  12. fall — the season
  13. net — after costs
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. ball — a dance
  17. present — the time now
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. land — to come down
  22. present — a gift
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. land — ground

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