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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 116 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: wind · leaves · sharp · racket · object · tear · net · land

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. net — in sport
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. object — to protest
  10. wind — moving air
  11. tear — from crying
  12. object — an aim
  13. land — a country
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. tear — to rip
  17. sharp — clever
  18. object — a thing
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. tear — from crying

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