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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.

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: tear · bark · nail · mine · land · bulb · leaves · bowl

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. land — ground
  5. mine — for digging
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bark — to shout
  16. land — to come down
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. land — a country
  22. bulb — for light
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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