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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stock — shares
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. can — a tin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — a video
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. stock — goods
  20. can — a tin
  21. scale — in music
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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