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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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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: perch · plane · chest · bay · mine · race · fall · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — to come down
  6. race — humankind
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. race — the arms race
  11. plane — a tool
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. land — ground
  20. race — a contest
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fall — to drop
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chest — of your body

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