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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. spring — the season
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. drill — army training
  9. land — to come down
  10. rest — a break
  11. spring — a coil
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. drill — the tool
  15. craft — a skill
  16. band — a music group
  17. drill — a practice
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rest — what's left
  20. land — ground
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spring — of water
  23. craft — boats
  24. land — a country

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