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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. capital — money
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. branch — a division
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bulb — for light
  7. land — to come down
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. suit — clothes
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. capital — a city
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. land — a country
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. spring — of water
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fine — high quality
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fine — all right
  23. suit — in cards
  24. capital — a big letter

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