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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · ground · scale · rush · land · leaves · race · fall

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. land — a country
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. land — to come down
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fall — the season
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rush — hurry
  9. race — a contest
  10. fall — to drop
  11. race — the arms race
  12. land — ground
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. scale — in music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. scale — size or range
  22. ground — a position
  23. race — humankind
  24. ground — crushed

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