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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.

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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: craft · land · fall · deal · degree · game · leaves · track

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. craft — a skill
  3. game — wild animals
  4. track — a path
  5. land — ground
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. deal — to handle
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fall — the season
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. track — a song
  15. fall — to drop
  16. degree — an amount
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fall — to drop
  19. land — to come down
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. land — a country
  22. craft — boats
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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