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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.

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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: fork · squash · cabinet · leaves · fall · mine · land · club

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mine — for digging
  11. squash — to crush
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fork — in a road
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fall — the season
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fall — to drop
  24. squash — the sport

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