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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: rush · saw · bear · pitch · land · tear · season · staff

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. land — to come down
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. season — in sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. tear — to rip
  16. land — ground
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rush — hurry
  20. staff — a stick
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — of the year
  23. staff — employees
  24. rush — a thrill

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