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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bank — for money
  6. mug — a face
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stock — goods
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bank — for money
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. capital — a city
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rush — hurry
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stock — shares
  23. capital — money
  24. wind — moving 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