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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: present · foot · leaves · wave · land · tube · rule · straw

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  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. land — a country
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. tube — a container
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. tube — the underground
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. present — a gift
  11. foot — a measure
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. land — to come down
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rule — a law
  17. present — there
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. present — the time now
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. rule — government
  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