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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. land — a country
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pass — a permit
  7. land — to come down
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. root — of a word
  11. land — ground
  12. root — the cause
  13. row — to paddle
  14. club — for dancing
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. march — the month
  17. row — a line
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. club — for golf
  21. root — of a plant
  22. march — the month
  23. club — a group
  24. march — music

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