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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 116 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: spell · leaves · bass · safe · land · stand · march · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bass — the fish
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. march — the month
  5. land — to come down
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. stand — to bear
  11. march — music
  12. bass — low music
  13. spell — letters
  14. saw — the tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. march — the month

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