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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. race — the arms race
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. spring — of water
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — for digging
  12. race — a contest
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. race — humankind
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. spring — the season
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. spring — a coil
  19. deal — to handle
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mine — an explosive

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