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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: last · chip · deal · arm · land · fall · trunk · leaves

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. last — to go on
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. deal — to handle
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chip — for betting
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. last — finally
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. chip — to eat
  20. land — a country
  21. last — final
  22. land — to come down
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. land — ground

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