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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
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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: last · cap · fan · leaves · land · rest · saw · hide

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. last — finally
  3. land — to come down
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cap — of ice
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cap — a hat
  10. saw — the tool
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cap — a lid
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. last — final
  18. rest — what's left
  19. land — a country
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. land — ground
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. last — to go on
  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