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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cap — a hat
  9. drill — army training
  10. land — a country
  11. drill — a practice
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. land — ground
  14. fine — high quality
  15. mate — to breed
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. row — a line
  19. land — to come down
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fine — all right
  22. drill — the tool
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bulb — for light

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