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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. land — a country
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bulb — for light
  16. land — ground
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. season — in sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. squash — to crush
  21. season — of the year
  22. land — to come down
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wind — to turn a key

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