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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · leaves · saw · chip · bear · game · plane · land

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. chip — to eat
  3. game — a match
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bear — the animal
  8. land — to come down
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. plane — a tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. land — ground
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chip — for betting
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spell — letters
  22. land — a country
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. leaves — of a tree

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