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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: leaves · spell · content · craft · land · spring · stand · key

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. craft — a skill
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spring — the season
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. key — for a lock
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. key — the most important part
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. spring — a coil
  14. stand — to bear
  15. craft — boats
  16. content — happy
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. spring — of water
  19. key — in music
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. content — the amount
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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