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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · saw · scale · land · mine · fine · wave · pitcher

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. land — a country
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mine — for digging
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — with your hand

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