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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — to come down
  7. mate — to breed
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. band — a music group
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mate — a partner
  13. staff — employees
  14. land — ground
  15. staff — a stick
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. staff — employees
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — a country
  22. band — a ring
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fan — to cool the air

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