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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.

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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. land — a country
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. land — to come down
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mine — for digging
  18. land — ground
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. lie — to recline

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