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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: wave · land · bat · game · leaves · hand · fine · object

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. land — a country
  5. hand — in cards
  6. object — a thing
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fine — all right
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. object — an aim
  16. game — a match
  17. land — to come down
  18. fine — high quality
  19. land — ground
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. object — to protest
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. hand — help

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