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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: wake · spell · cell · bay · net · land · march · lean

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wake — a trail
  3. march — the month
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cell — a phone
  9. march — the month
  10. lean — thin
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. net — in sport
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. spell — magic
  15. land — ground
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. spell — letters
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cell — in biology
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. march — music
  23. net — after costs
  24. wake — before a funeral

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