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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 116 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
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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: land · season · net · plane · game · tear · chip · staff

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. land — to come down
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. tear — to rip
  6. season — in sport
  7. staff — a stick
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. net — for catching
  12. game — wild animals
  13. plane — a tool
  14. chip — to eat
  15. staff — employees
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. net — in sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. chip — for betting
  20. game — a match
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. net — after costs

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