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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 120 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: foot · leaves · pop · snap · present · land · drill · kid

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pop — to visit
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pop — soda
  7. present — there
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. present — the time now
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. foot — a measure
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. kid — to tease
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. land — ground
  19. present — a gift
  20. snap — to click
  21. drill — army training
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. land — to come down
  24. pop — music

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