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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. scale — size or range
  4. key — in music
  5. land — to come down
  6. drill — a practice
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. drill — army training
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. staff — employees
  11. scale — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. drill — the tool
  15. land — ground
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bark — to shout
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. key — for a lock

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