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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: present · chip · wake · fall · pop · leaves · land · fan

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. land — a country
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. fall — the season
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. land — ground
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. land — to come down
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pop — soda
  13. fall — to drop
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. wake — a trail
  17. present — there
  18. fall — to drop
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. chip — to eat
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pop — to visit
  24. fan — to cool the air

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