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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: mine · swing · land · mark · fall · bark · stand · wave

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. swing — music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. swing — to play on
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. land — a country
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. land — ground
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fall — the season
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mark — a grade
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. land — to come down
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wave — of the sea

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